West Ham complete £29.5m signing of Brazilian wonderkid

West Ham United have announced the signing of Luis Guilherme from Brazilian side Palmeiras.

The 18-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at London Stadium, ending a long-running transfer saga.

90min reported last week that West Ham were keen to conclude the deal to sign Guilherme having agreed a total package worth £29.5m with Palmeiras, with this viewed as a remarkable piece of business by the Hammers.

Guilherme, courted by many of Europe's top clubs in recent months, received a late approach from intermediaries who claimed to be representing Saudi Arabia, offering to triple the salary on offer at West Ham. However, Saudi dealmakers never officially firmed up their interest and he has now completed a move to east London instead.

"I'm very happy to be signing with West Ham United, a club that trusted in my work,” Guilherme told West Ham channels. "I also want to thank everyone at West Ham, particularly Tim [Steidten, technical director] and his team who came to Brazil, and not only talked with me, but also with my family. 

"They presented the project, and both my family and I liked it. So, I'm very happy to be signing with this club and hope to contribute as much as possible. If things go well, we have a beautiful journey ahead.

"The head coach [Julen Lopetegui] and I already had a conversation. He showed me his project and I believe I'll learn a lot from him. He's coached at the national level in Spain and managed big clubs.

"The Premier League is the best league in the world. I believe I'll improve a lot here with the entire staff at West Ham, which is crucial for my development.

"Growing up, whenever I had the chance, I watched English football. Seeing how it is and now being able to play here is an incredible feeling.

"Since I was eleven, I had this dream, and now it’s becoming a reality. I'm very happy about it and grateful to West Ham. Let’s go for it!"

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