Super £40 Million Mario To Join West Ham On Loan

Talks are at an advanced stage between West Ham United and Inter Milan for the loan signing of Joao Mario. The Portuguese international has been linked with a move to Manchester United in the past, but is apparently not that keen on moving to the London Stadium. Since his £40 Million transfer from Sporting Lisbon 'Super Mario' has not had the game time that such a high transfer fee would suggest, he is currently out of favour with Inter manager Luciano Spalletti and has only made three starts and 15 appearances this season. Sporting are keen for Joao Mario to be playing despite his manager's obvious lack of faith, and a loan deal would suit both West Ham and Inter it now depends on the player himself.

24 year old Mario was sensational for Sporting Lisbon while he was there, so good that it earned him his big money move to Inter and he was also a part of the Portugal squad that won the Euro 2016 Cup. Great things were expected of him, but it hasn't really worked out for him at Inter where some think that the fee paid for him has been a weight on his shoulders that he is not bearing particularly well. A change of environment might be just what the doctor ordered for Mario, he is undoubtedly talented and would be a perfect fit for David Moyes as he looks to shore up West Ham's soft midfield, an area that Moyes has repeatedly mentioned needs serious and urgent attention.

Mario appears to be a better option for West Ham than the mooted transfer of Jack Wilshere, despite the bookies odds! There are two issues though, firstly as mentioned the player doesn't seem to want to come to West Ham, and secondly he will only be a loan signing because Sporting would want insane money for him to make a deal permanent, this would mean Hammers could miss out on Wilshire and several others by just taking the short term option, because at the end of the season there would be a significant gap to fill once Mario returns to his parent club.

This deal does rather look like a David Sullivan driven event, he does love a bargain loan after all, but if he pulls this one off it will be a feather for his 'Sully' Russian hat! - Ed