West Ham United are scouting Santos gem Marcos Leonardo at the U20 World Cup in Poland. But the striker is a possible transfer target of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
That is according to 90min, which reports that a raft of Premier League clubs like Leonardo. But West Ham have representatives at the U20 World Cup to keep tabs on the striker after failing to seal a deal in January. The Hammers saw Santos reject their offer for the Brazilian.
West Ham moved to beat potential interest in Leonardo with the 20-year-old emerging as a very promising talent. He has featured in more than 140 first-team matches for Santos over the past three years. The striker enjoyed his senior debut at 17 years old back in April 2020.
Premier League rivals join West Ham with an interest in Leonardo
A raft of Premier League rivals have now developed an affection of their own for the striker, though. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham admire Leonardo. But 90min does not suggest that either has yet advanced their interest in pursuing a move.
Chelsea have developed their affection for Leonardo whilst keeping tabs on his Brazil U20 teammate, Andrey Santos. The Blues secured an £18m deal for the Vasco da Gama talent in January. Chelsea also paid Independiente del Valle £17.5m to sign Kendry Paez in April.
The Santos talent is thriving at the U20 World Cup for Brazil
West Ham may face battling a host of Premier League rivals to sign Leonardo this summer if they advance their interest in the Santos striker’s transfer now. He is thriving at the U20 World Cup for Brazil, while Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Roma also watch his efforts.
Leonardo has opened the tournament with three goals in his first two appearances under Ramon Menezes. The forward hit a brace during a 3-2 defeat to Italy to open Group D. He then added another single effort to help the Selecao humble the Dominican Republic 6-0.
