West Ham close in on £21million signing with striker undergoing club medical

West Ham are close to completing a deal to sign Gil Vicente striker Pablo, talkSPORT understands.

The Hammers have agreed a fee of €21million [£18.3m] plus €3m [£2.6m] in add-ons to bring the 21-year-old to the London Stadium.

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The Portuguese youngster is currently undergoing a medical ahead of his proposed switch.

He stands to be Nuno Espirito Santo‘s first signing as West Ham boss since he succeeded Graham Potter in September.

It was only in June which saw Pablo pen a permanent contract at Gil Vicente.

He spent the 2024/25 season on loan at the Estadio Cidade de Barcelos, where he fired in five goals in 23 games in all competitions.

But he’s had his shooting boots on this term for Cesar Peixoto’s men – finding the back of the net ten times in 13 Primeira Liga outings.

Only three players in Portugal’s top-flight have scored more than Pablo, who has helped guide Gil Vicente up to fourth in the table.

Hammer time

His performances have done enough to convince West Ham that he could be the right man to lead their line going forward.

Skipper Jarrod Bowen – a natural right winger – has been utilised up top in recent weeks.

Meanwhile Callum Wilson – a free transfer last summer – has started just once out of West Ham’s last five Premier League fixtures.

A new striker was deemed as a necessity for the east London outfit in January with Niclas Fullkrug set to join AC Milan on an initial loan deal.

And they could be set to bring in another, with talkSPORT understanding that talks are advancing to secure the services of Lazio centre-forward Taty Castellanos.

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The 23-year-old has been on Lazio’s books since 2023, where he has scored 22 goals in 98 matches in all competitions.

Two of those strikes have come this season in Serie A from 11 appearances.

The two-time Argentina international is also a former MLS Cup winner, having scored 23 goals in New York City’s victorious 2021 campaign.

It remains to be seen whether the imminent arrival of Pablo and the negotiations regarding Castellanos will impact West Ham’s interest in Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Though one potential West Ham signing that will not be happening is the transfer of Crystal Palace’s Eddie Nketiah.

It is believed that West Ham were eyeing up a swoop for the ex-Arsenal man, only for the two-time FA Cup winner to pick up a hamstring injury.

However, West Ham are expected to seal the capture of Fulham winger Adama Traore on an initial six-month contract.

Nuno has been leading the charge to sign his former Wolves star, whose contract is up in the summer.

He had already tried to bring Traore to Nottingham Forest over the summer when he was in charge at the City Ground.

The 29-year-old has made 16 appearances for Fulham this term – chipping in with just one assist.

West Ham know they need to bolster their squad this season to avoid a first relegation into the Championship since the 2010/11 term.

They are currently languishing in 18th spot – four points off safety – ahead of Saturday’s trip to rock bottom Wolves.