West Ham Set To Sign Inter Midfielder Joao Mario On Loan

There wouldn't have been many people who predicted that David Moyes would steer West Ham away from the relegation zone but with things being so tight there's still a long way to go. Their latest signing will certainly help.

West Ham haven't exactly had a perfect 18 months in the London Stadium but this season started off particularly badly which led to Slaven Bilic being sacked with the team sat in the relegation zone.

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David Moyes' appointment was hardly met with universal agreement by fans of the Hammers after the Scot had failed with Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland in his previous three jobs, taking the Blacks Cats into the Championship.

But the former Everton manager has actually done a decent job with the east London club and steered them north of the bottom three. So far so good but they're still merely four points from relegation.

The Hammers have been looking for a way to improve their midfield this transfer window and according to reports they have now agreed a loan move with Inter Milan for Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario, with an option to buy included.

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The 25 year old has only started fives games for Inter this season as their Serie A season has seen them go from battling for the title to fighting for a top four finish inside a couple of months.

Mario signed for the San Siro club just 18 months ago in the summer of 2016 for €40 million but he has struggled to make it in Italy and has played just 47 times for them in all competitions.

Mario eyes his move to West Ham

The Nerazzurri recently took Barcelona midfielder Rafinha on loan with an obligation to buy the player should they qualify for next season's Champions League whilst they have also been linked with a move for Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge.

The signing of Mario is certainly a good piece of business for the Hammers, they'll be hoping it helps them avoid another stint in the Championship.

Topics: Football News, Serie A, Premier League, England, West Ham, Italy, Inter Milan

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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