Who is Leading the Race for Matheus Pereira and Where is he Going?

With West Brom’s relegation back to the Championship confirmed, the process of their best players being poached by bigger clubs will begin with Matheus Pereira being the most likely to leave.

Having already spent a season in the second tier with the Baggies, the Brazilian will likely not want to do it again. A host of clubs are linked with him, but the standouts are Midlands rivals Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as ever-impressive Leeds United.

We take a look at where best for him and where Pereira could go next and all the Matheus Pereira transfer news.

ICYMI: take a look at the latest West Brom transfer rumours with where we expect the current flock of players to go after relegation.

The team most heavily linked to Pereira is local rivals Villa. After The Athletic delivered the latest Matheus Pereira transfer news with the Villains reportedly being interested in the Brazilian, it led to fans voicing their opinions on the midfielder with most of them sharing positive reviews after his performance against Villa

It begs the question would Pereira fit into the team as he would require greater creative influence which is a role already filled by club captain Jack Grealish, and the Villa captain may end up leaving in the summer anyhow.

As well as Grealish, Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi, Bertrand Traore and academy product Jacob Ramsey also make up the attacking options, so it is an area that Villa are well stocked in. The aspect of Pereira moving to a local rival as well means that despite the strong links this move will most likely not happen due to the depth Villa already have in that area as well as the aspect of the rivalry.

This does, however, look like Pereira's most likely destination.

Another local rival to West Brom which could hinder the chances of this move happening are their arch rivals, Wolves. Pereira would add a different dynamic to the club's forward line who rely heavily on Raul Jimenez, while Pereira also has a different play style to that of Daniel Podence, Pedro Neto and Adama Traore.

The strong Portuguese contingent at Wolves is also a big pull for Pereira as there will be a large group of players who speak Portuguese making the transition into the group a lot smoother. It does, however, remain a mystery as to whether or not the Brazilian has the nerves to make the move to a Black Country rival.

Like that of Villa, this move is unlikely to transpire due to the strong local rivalry. Another reason is the fact that Nuno Espirito Santos likes to stick to a stable XI and a strict system as well so it would take a while for Pereira to break into the first team due to this, as can be seen with Daniel Podence after his move from Olympiacos.

As of now, Wolves is a genuine option for him, especially given how they've been no stranger to a hefty price tag down the years.

Leicester City are another club in the middle of the country to show an interest in Pereira as he would add depth to the squad as they once again try to face a season in European football. The arrival of the Brazilian would reduce the burden on James Maddison and Harvey Barnes with Leicester on the brink of Champions League qualification once more.

Although Pereira would spend most of his time on the bench due to the large number of fixtures that Leicester will be playing next year, he would be a useful addition as although he does not possess the same quality as Maddison he would provide backup and would see game time due to the injury-prone Englishman.

The prospect of being on the bench more often may defer the Brazilian from making the move, but the chance of possibly playing Champions League football is one Pereira should not miss out on.

Along with West Ham United, Leeds United are another team considered at the front of the queue for the Brazilian. However, they will face a tough challenge to convince Pereira to move to Yorkshire due to interest from the Hammers as well as Leicester City and RB Leipzig. If Leeds are to pay the £20 million price tag on Pereira, he would be a welcomed addition into the squad.

The biggest draw when considering a move to Leeds would be the prospect of working with Marcelo Bielsa. The fact that Pereira is linked with Leeds also shows that Bielsa is a big fan of the Brazilian. The chance to work with a coach as influential as Bielsa would help to improve Pereira’s career drastically with Bielsa track record being seen with Patrick Bamford and Luke Ayling to name a few.

This is the type of move that would appeal to Pereira as it allows him to work with a world class coach and drastically increase his potential.

West Ham United are also a team interested in Pereira. The Hammers are looking at possible Jesse Lingard replacements due to the Englishman likely returning to his parent club Manchester United after his fine form for the Londoners. Pereira would be able to easily fill in for Lingard as they do play a similar type of position, which is just behind the striker, so Pereira could be easily integrated into the team that has made serious moves under David Moyes.

The prospect of European football would also be appealing to Pereira, should they get there, as West Ham currently sit fifth in the league which would mean Europa League football next season. This is a big pull for Pereira, and this is what would help increase the likelihood of this move as Pereira would be able to showcase his talent to an even wider audience.

By Jack Meenan