Report: West Ham Nears Loan Deal for Inter Milan's Joao Mario
West Ham are close to completing the loan signing of Inter's Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario, according to Portuguese sports daily O Jogo.
The Hammers' need for midfield reinforcements has been intensified by a hamstring injury picked up by Manuel Lanzini in Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth, while the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Andy Carroll also face long spells on the sidelines.
West Ham are reported to have agreed a loan deal with Inter, and it will see the 25-year-old join the club for the rest of the season. The Hammers will also pay Inter a loan fee of £1.5m and a portion of Mario's wages while he is at the club, with an option to make the move permanent for £20m in the summer.
The Euro 2016 winner joined Inter from Portuguese giants Sporting CP in August 2016 for €40m, but has made just five Serie A starts and has yet to find the net for the Nerazzurri this season.
One of the main stumbling blocks of the move has apparently been convincing Mario to swap Serie A for the Premier League, although West Ham appear to have something of an ace up their sleeve in that regard, with Mario's international teammate Jose Fonte reportedly trying to persuade the midfielder to join him at the London Stadium.
