West Ham United are interested in Anderlecht midfielder Mario Stroeykens while Corinthians and Brazil Under-20 prospect Breno Bidon is another on the Premier League outfit’s summer radar, Hammers News can confirm.
Last week, West Ham revealed that Vladimir Coufal, Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell and Danny Ings will depart when their contracts expire at the beginning of July.
This, it seems, is only the beginning of what could be a substantial summer overhaul at the London Stadium.
Hammers News were told that West Ham plan to ‘reinvent’ Graham Potter’s squad with what could be a minimum of five new signings. The Hammers want to build new foundations around a core of exciting young talent.
Stroeykens and Bidon – both 20 years of age – certainly fit the bill.
Reports coming out of Belgium earlier this week claimed that West Ham had enquired about Anderlecht’s Mario Stroeykens. Valued at £17 million with only a year left on his contract, West Ham United face stiff competition from Marseille and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Another name to add to the list, meanwhile, is that of Samba starlet Breno Bidon.
Photo by Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Photo by Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
West Ham United eye Corinthians and Brazil starlet Breno Bidon
Football correspondent Graeme Bailey, while confirming that Stroeykens is indeed someone West Ham are considering, exclusively tells Hammers News that Breno Bidon is another rising midfield star with admirers at the London Stadium.
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Kyle Macauley, the club’s head of recruitment, picked out Bidon as one to watch.
Having worked with Potter at Ostersunds, Swansea City, Brighton and now West Ham, scouting expert Macauley knows exactly what the Hammers boss wants from his midfield options.
The make-up of West Ham’s current midfield – ageing, sluggish operators struggling to match the physicality of younger, fresher teams – is about as far from Potter’s ideal selection as it is possible to get. Stroeykens, an ‘explosive’, dynamic footballer likened to a young Youri Tielemans, would be a welcome addition.
Ditto, Bidon.
Part of the Brazil side who won this year’s South American Under-20 Championship, Bidon found his way onto Bayern Munich’s wishlist even before he was established as a member of the senior Corinthians squad, per Globo Esporte.
It was reported, at the time, that he has a £13 million release clause in his contract applicable for European clubs.
‘Dynamic’ Breno Bidon would bring ‘good technical quality’ to West Ham
Extremely confident in possession but combative without it too, Bidon’s talents shine through when he receives the ball in tight spaces in the centre of the park, leaving his marker for dead with a quick shimmy and a turn of pace.
Like Stroeykens, he excels when driving through the thirds from deep. Bidon is also quick and mobile enough to perform his off-the-ball duties effectively, while possessing a fierce left-footed strike from the edge of the penalty area.
“Breno is an intelligent athlete,” explains Edu Vergueiro, the assistant coach for Brazil’s U20 team. “With good reading and understanding skills, good decision-making, and dynamic. He performs several functions on the field and has good technical quality.”
Former Brazil first-team boss Dorival Junior, meanwhile, feels that Bidon’s ability in the final third means he is wasted when deployed in a deep-lying role.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
“In my opinion, Bidon is not a defensive midfielder,” Dorival said this month. “He has all the characteristics of [an all-round] midfielder.”
At a time where so many West Ham midfielders are facing a potential summer exit – Tomas Soucek is a target for Leeds and Everton, World Cup winner Guido Rodriguez could return to River Plate, and Carlos Soler is heading back to Paris Saint-Germain – interest in two young, improving and extremely high-potential footballers at least suggests that Potter and Macauley know what needs to be fixed.
Interestingly, Bidon is not the only Corinthians player on the radar.
West Ham continue to watch striker Yuri Alberto, two years after seeing a £15 million bid turned down for the reigning Brazilian Golden Boot winner.