One in, one out at West Ham

West Ham United have signed defender Manuel Da Costa from Fiorentina, with Savio Nsereko moving the other way.

The Hammers announced the completion of both deals late on Monday afternoon.

Germany Under-21s international Savio returns to Italy just seven months after joining West Ham from Brescia for a fee of around £9m.

He struggled to make an impact in the Barclays Premier League, and West Ham will hope Portuguese centre-back Da Costa is better equipped to adapt to English football.
West Ham have accepted an undisclosed fee and the 23-year-old defender in return for Savio.

West Ham United chief executive Scott Duxbury said: "This is a good deal for everyone concerned. Although not for the want of trying, Savio has struggled to make an impact for various reasons, while Manuel is also looking for a fresh start. We will continue to look at home and across Europe for the brightest prospects as they best fit our vision for this club's future.

"Had our financial situation been different we would have preferred to have kept and developed Savio. However, we are required to make savings and our policy has always been to sell players on the fringes rather than established first-team players. With the fee we received for Savio and 50 per cent sell on together with acquiring the highly rated Da Costa, it represented a great deal."

Da Costa has also played for French club Nancy and Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, making England the fourth country of what is still a fledgling career.