West Ham offered £25m player who Cristiano Ronaldo said has “great talent”

West Ham United have been offered a potential January signing as the winter transfer window looms, and he’s a player who footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo rates very highly.

West Ham prepare for Southampton as Julen Lopetegui enjoys unbeaten streak

Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui – a man who’s been under heavy fire from critics since replacing David Moyes in the summer – has guided West Ham to a small, albeit slightly encouraging, unbeaten streak lately.

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The Hammers are moving early.

West Ham haven’t lost since their abject defeat away to Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Leicester City at the very start of December, and have since beaten Wolves 2-1 in the ‘El Sackico’, whilst also securing 1-1 draws against both Bournemouth and Brighton.

While they were arguably fortunate to edge past Brighton with a point, they were minutes away from getting the better of an in-form Bournemouth side at the Vitality Stadium, so there are signs that momentum could be building in Lopetegui’s favour.

West Ham players are beginning to buy into Lopetegui’s methods and slowly starting to get behind the Spaniard, according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, so this may well be reflected in their most recent run of results.

Lopetegui has a chance to further solidify his position in the Irons dugout when his side travel to St. Mary’s Stadium for their Premier League clash against struggling Southampton on Boxing Day, with the Saints recently appointing former Serie A boss Ivan Juric as their head coach to replace Russell Martin.

Juric’s arrival on the south coast has teed up this clash to be quite the intriguing encounter, and Lopetegui is certainly not underestimating the task at hand.

“There is no match in our mind other than Southampton,” said Lopetegui on Southampton ahead of their festive face-off.

“Despite being at the bottom of the table, I think they’ve shown lots of good things this season and we know it’s going to be another big challenge.

“It’s the same with every game in the Premier League – you have to be ready to face tough demands and situations, and you cannot start thinking about any of the games that come after this one.”

West Ham offered Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli

In the background, preparations for January are well underway across Europe, and it is now believed that West Ham have been offered the chance to strike a deal for Nicolo Fagioli.

The Juventus gem, rumoured to command a price tag of around £25 million, is said to be keen on a move to London above all – as intermediaries tout him around the Premier League in search of a new club.

That is according to GiveMeSport, who write that West Ham are one of the clubs who’ve been made aware of Fagioli’s availability, alongside both Crystal Palace and fierce cross-town rivals Tottenham.

The Italy international has played in all but three Serie A games under Thiago Motta for Juve this season, but the vast majority of his appearances have been from the bench, even though Ronaldo once endorsed Fagioli for having “great talent”.

“In the past Nicolò also clung on to the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo in the locker room, they had a wonderful bond,” said Fagioli’s brother, Alessandro, in an interview with Tuttosport.

“CR7 always confessed to him that he saw great talent in him. So he advised him to work twice as hard, to never give up.”