West Ham may have big regrets as Nottingham Forest close in on £17.1m deal | OneFootball

Gustavo Sa is set to join Nottingham Forest after being linked with a move to West Ham earlier in the window

It's been a very quiet transfer window thus far at West Ham United in terms of incomings, but it should only be a matter of time before their activity truly begins.

Given the amount of quality in the Hammers squad, both at the club and on loan elsewhere, a lot of the summer thus far has been spent figuring out which players will leave and who will stay to help contribute to getting the club back to the Premier League.

West Ham needed to generate funds from player sales this summer — at least £150 million according to The Athletic — but that fee has almost been reached over just two departures, after Mateus Fernandes departed for £85 million and Crycensio Summerville left for up to £60 million.

More players with European pedigree will be set to leave, but the onus in the meantime should be on replacing those two big departures, as both Fernandes and Summerville were bright sparks in the Hammers fold despite their relegation.

West Ham profiled Gustavo Sa as an early Mateus Fernandes replacement

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With Fernandes joining Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham desperately need a creative midfielder in their ranks this summer, but it seems that one of their early targets has been poached by Nuno Espirito Santo's former side.

Reports at the start of July from Portugal stated that the Hammers were set to sign Famalicao's attacking midfielder Gustavo Sa for a fee of around €20 million (£17.1 million).

The 21-year-old had spent his entire senior career with the Portuguese top-flight outfit, making 120 appearances in all competitions, and 108 in the Primeira Liga.

His best campaign at the Estadio Municipal de Famalicao came in 2024/25, when he registered 12 goal contributions in 33 games, but last season, he captained the side to a fifth-placed finish, the highest since their return to the top flight in 2019, scoring four and assisting twice.

Nottingham Forest have beaten West Ham United in the pursuit of Gustavo Sa

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However, those reports didn't gain much traction in the following weeks, even with those Portuguese outlets stating that a deal was done. Now, Nuno's former side, Nottingham Forest, are set to confirm Sa's arrival.

The Athletic have reported that an identical £17.1 million fee has been agreed for the 21-year-old, but his immediate future is set to lie away from the City Ground.

Nottingham Forest see Sa as one for the future, and are set to send him out on loan to sister club Olympiacos, where he'll continue his development with the Greek side, who came second in the Greek Super League last season.

West Ham United may come to regret not pursuing Gustavo Sa further this summer

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The first summer transfer window following relegation can often be a difficult one to navigate, and players would likely need to be sold before new arrivals could be pursued, but West Ham may regret not acting quickly enough to sign Sa.

The 15-capped Portuguese Under-21 international is one of the most exciting young talents in Portugal currently, breaking Joao Moutinho's record to become the youngest player to reach 100 Portuguese top-flight appearances back in April.

The amount of experience he has at an elite level and the leadership he's exhibited in the past year, especially, would have made him a brilliant option in the Championship this season.

Plus, at 21, there'd be every possibility that he could make the step-up to the Premier League very shortly, which is what West Ham will want from their summer arrivals this window, so they can be in a good place to maintain their top-flight status if they earn immediate promotion this year.

Instead, Forest are set to be the side who could benefit from that potential in a year or two, and could either find themselves with a quality Portuguese attacking midfielder in their ranks, or a very healthy profit via a future sale.

It has to only be a matter of time before West Ham