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West Ham Hold Talks With Brazilian Star Striker

By James Sneddon

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND - AUGUST 22: Arthur Mendonca Cabral #10 of FC Basel 1893 celebrates his goal with the fans during the Swiss Super League match between FC Lausanne-Sport and FC Basel at Stade de la Tuiliere on July 24, 2021 in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Photo by RvS.Media/Basile Barbey/Getty Images)
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND - AUGUST 22: Arthur Mendonca Cabral #10 of FC Basel 1893 celebrates his goal with the fans during the Swiss Super League match between FC Lausanne-Sport and FC Basel at Stade de la Tuiliere on July 24, 2021 in Lausanne, Switzerland. (Photo by RvS.Media/Basile Barbey/Getty Images) /
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West Ham United have held talks with the agent of highly-rated Basel striker Arthur Cabral, according to reports from Brazil and Switzerland.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move to London Stadium over the last two weeks and is expected to be a transfer target for many clubs across Europe.

West Ham are keen to sign another striker in January to provide a back-up option and competition for Michail Antonio.

West Ham have held preliminary talks with Basel striker Arthur Cabral in their hunt to land a striker in the January transfer window.

BASEL, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 12: Arthur Mendonca Cabral of FC Basel celebrates after scoring their side`s third goal during the UEFA Conference League Third Qualifying Round Leg Two match between FC Basel and Ujpest at St. Jakob-Park on August 12, 2021 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – AUGUST 12: Arthur Mendonca Cabral of FC Basel celebrates after scoring their side`s third goal during the UEFA Conference League Third Qualifying Round Leg Two match between FC Basel and Ujpest at St. Jakob-Park on August 12, 2021 in Basel, Switzerland. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images) /

Cabral has dominated Swiss football this season, scoring 25 goals and adding eight assists in 26 games across all competitions. He has been one of the Swiss Super League’s standout players since he signed for Basel in 2019, and he has scored a total of 46 goals in 73 games.

His fine form landed him a call-up to the Brazil national team in October 2021.

Cabral started his playing career with Ceará, where he scored 22 goals in 61 games. His success with the club led to him signing for Palmeiras in 2019. He struggled to make an major impact for Palmeiras, so he was loaned out to Basel for the 2019/20 season. This was his first taste of European football, and he eventually made the move to Switzerland permanent in 2020.

His energetic, fast-paced style of play is the main reason why many Premier League clubs are planning to fight for his signature. Liverpool has shown an interest in signing him, and Newcastle United sees him as a potential option to add to their struggling team. Moreover, Barcelona has been heavily linked with him, and West Ham would therefore face even tougher competition to sign the Brazilian.

West Ham are already working on targets for January, with a striker and a new centre-back being key priorities. David Moyes has faced a defensive conundrum following the injury to Angelo Ogbonna between Issa Diop and Craig Dawson.

Also, there is the possibility of Jesse Lingard returning.

Names of some forwards have been mentioned, notably Czech teenager star Adam Hložek.

Arthur Cabral is a relatively new name in the West Ham transfer mix, but it is a name that has hyped many Hammers fans. West Ham may find it tough to get him, but Cabral would be a major coup.

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