West Ham received an unexpected transfer offer in January from Brazilian club Flamengo.

The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club made TWO offers for young Hammers winger Luis Guilherme, who has struggled for game time at the London Stadium since joining from Palmeiras.

Claret & Hugh learned of the transfer move from a transfer source who revealed: “West Ham could have got their money back but pulled the plug at the last minute.”

The first deal on offer was a €23m (£19.7m) straight sale, with the second involving a €5m (£4.3m) loan fee and an obligation to buy.

However, we were told West Ham boss Graham Potter changed his mind on rubber-stamping the deal after Guilherme’s cameo role against Chelsea.

At the time, a top Hammers source told C&H: “We’re keeping him. The lad could turn out to be anything.” There was rumoured Saudi interest, but certainly no hint that a big offer was on the table."