West Ham have completed the £41million signing Mateus Fernandes to kickstart a push for late deals for Monday’s transfer deadline.
Fernandes joins from Southampton and has signed a five-year contract at the London Stadium.
West Ham will pay an initial £38m for the 21-year-old midfielder, with a further £3m in add-ons.
The Hammers are also closing in on the signing of Soungoutou Magassa from Monaco and have reportedly revived their interest in Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor, as Graham Potter seeks reinforcements after a difficult start to the new season.
Potter has hailed the signing of Fernandes and said: “Mateus is a young player who has made impressive progress in the early part of his career, and we are delighted to have secured his signing.
“He gained valuable experience in the Premier League last year with Southampton and is someone we really feel can help improve us and fit into what we are trying to build and develop at the club.
“We believe that his attributes and strengths will bring a different dimension to the squad and, from speaking to him, I know that he can’t wait to get started here.
“He has shown great maturity and character for someone so young, and we look forward to seeing his continued progress and impact at West Ham United.”
Fernandes said: “I'm very happy to be here. I'm very excited to play for West Ham. I think it's a big step for me.
“It's a big club, a massive club. The project, the stadium, the city, everything.
“I want to try to play football, enjoy football, not just run and try to score, but try to play good football.
“I think the most important thing is to try to give everything every day.”
