Official: Lazio sell Castellanos to West Ham in permanent deal

West Ham United have officially announced the signing of striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos on a permanent signing from Serie A side Lazio. 

The 27-year-old leaves the Biancocelesti after two-and-a-half years, during which time he scored 22 goals from 98 appearances across all competitions. He has 16 Serie A goals to his name from 75 league outings in Italy. 

Lazio have sold Castellanos for a fee reported to be worth €29m. West Ham have confirmed that he has put pen to paper on a four-and-a-half year deal with the option for an additional 12 months, which will see him through until the summer of 2030, potentially 2031. 

Castellanos becomes the first Serie A first-team player to be sold this January transfer window. 

“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 told the West Ham website. 

“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.

“I hope to give my all to the fans. I’ve always defended the jersey of every team with the utmost responsibility, and I want to tell them that I’m going to give everything, to defend this jersey, and obviously, to achieve our goals day after day. That’s the most important thing.”

Castellanos is one of two new strikers to be signed by West Ham in the early stages of the January transfer window, following their acquisition of Pablo Felipe, who joined in a permanent deal from Primeira Liga side Gil Vicente on Saturday.