West Ham United
West Ham United have completed the signing of Lazio striker Valentin Castellanos.
The 27-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the option for an additional year and will wear the No 11 shirt.
The anticipated arrival of Castellanos comes after West Ham completed the signing of striker Pablo Felipe on Friday. The 21-year-old joined from Gil Vicente for a fee in the region of €20million (£17.4m, $23.4m).
“I’m really happy because it’s a very important challenge for me personally and I’ve come to contribute, to try to help the team as much as I can,” Castellanos said after signing.
“Every match is a battle, and I’m here to contribute that, to try to bring that energy, that fighting spirit I have inside, so that every match is as important and as tough as possible.
The Athletic reported in the Transfer DealSheet in December that a forward was one of Nuno Espirito Santo’s priorities for the January window, the first of his tenure after replacing Graham Potter in September.
Striker Niclas Fullkrug’s loan to AC Milan was also confirmed on Friday and Milan hold the option of making the move permanent in the summer.
Castellanos has scored twice and provided three assists in 10 Serie appearances this season, either side of one month out with a hamstring injury.
The Argentina international moved to Lazio from New York City FC in 2023 and made 97 appearances for the club, scoring 22 goals and adding 16 assists.
He has been capped twice at senior international level following his debut in 2024.
West Ham are 18th in the Premier League and trail Nottingham Forest in 17th by four points. Nuno’s side return to action against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.