Journalist Claims West Ham Will Beat AC Milan to the Signing of Brazilian Star

Daily Mail Sports Chief Lee Clayton has claimed that West Ham United will continue their summer overhaul with the signing of Bernard on a free transfer.

Clayton's revelation comes despite news from Italy suggesting that Bernard was edging closer to signing for AC Milan. The Brazilian international was reportedly set to sign for the Serie A giants, but it now appears that the midfielder may now be set for a move to the Premier League.

Chelsea were also rumoured to be interested in signing Bernard, but set a deadline of Tuesday for any deal to be concluded. With the deadline now passed, West Ham and Milan seem set to battle it out for the signature of the midfielder.

The Hammers have been extremely active this transfer window signing Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Issa Diop. Adding Bernard to their squad would provide their midfield with extra depth ahead of another demanding season.

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Although West Ham have already made a number of signings, manager Manuel Pellegrini has hinted that there may be more to come. 

Speaking to the club's official website the Chilean said: "It depends which players will not continue in the club and also on the options we have to replace them, so the sporting director and myself as manager have to work very hard to be absolutely sure that we have the squad that we need for the Premier League.

"As you know, it’s always so tight and so difficult so we want to make sure we don’t make a mistake in the makeup of the squad."