West Ham United have scheduled a meeting with the representative of Pablo Maia to talk about a potential move to the Premier League, according to journalist Jorge Nicola.
Who is Pablo Maia?
Maia is naturally a defensive midfielder who currently plays his football for Sao Paulo having graduated from their academy to get promoted to the first-team back in January 2022, and he’s been a regular feature ever since, clocking up 92 senior appearances under Dorival Junior.
The Brazilian’s contract in the Serie A isn’t set to expire for another four years, but having emerged as his club’s top-performing defensive player this season, his outstanding displays have caught the eye of David Moyes, and it’s not the first time he’s been linked with a move.
Back in May, Bolavip Brasil reported that the Irons had made contact to sign the 21-year-old who is expected to be one of the prized assets sold to raise funds, and soon after Andre Hernan claimed that they had promised to return for him in the summer window, which appears to be exactly what has happened.
With Declan Rice closing in on his big-money move to Arsenal, the boss will need to find a suitable replacement to sit just in front of the backline and he’s already been linked with the likes of Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina, though it’s the talented youngster that he seems to have his heart firmly set on.
Are West Ham signing Maia?
According to Nicola (via Sport Witness), West Ham and Fulham are “keeping up with their chase” for Maia and both clubs are set to “try and advance” in negotiations having “invited his agent”, Junior Pedroso, to England.
The Sao Paulo client’s representative, who is already set to fly to Europe, will use his trip to “sit at the table” with the E20 outfit to discuss a possible deal, with the club’s interest claimed to be “more recent” and “very exciting”. It’s stated that his boyhood side would be open to a sale, though they would “only accept” a fee of over €20m (£17m).
What would Maia bring to West Ham?
West Ham will be looking to sign a player who can match Rice’s abilities in that defensive midfield position, which is exactly what Maia can do having been dubbed a “Mini-Casemiro” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, but he is also exciting going forward so he could bring the best of both worlds to the London Stadium.
Sponsored by Puma, Sao Paulo’s youth graduate has so far won 16 out of his 27 tackles made this Brazilian season, which is higher than any of his fellow teammates, via FBRef, and he is even calm and composed in possession with a 91% pass success rate – more than the current captain and any of the players in the Irons' squad.
Maia, who has the versatility to play in five different positions across the pitch, has additionally chipped in with two goals in 12 Serie A outings and is averaging 1.6 shots per game, so should Moyes be able to secure his services, it would be a massive coup for a rising talent who makes an impact at both ends.