West Ham United have reportedly seen an opening offer of £45m for midfielder Joao Palhinha rejected by Fulham.
The Europa Conference League champions are looking to step up their pursuit of a new centre-midfielder following the departure of club captain Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m on Saturday.
Palhinha is believed to have been on West Ham’s radar for some time this summer, with one report claiming that the 27-year-old is their top target to replace Rice.
Prior to Rice’s exit, manager David Moyes acknowledged that the Hammers cannot reinvest in new summer signings until the Englishman’s switch to Arsenal was completed.
Now, The Guardian reports that West Ham have made their first move to sign Palhinha and have tabled an opening offer of £45m.
However, the report adds that Fulham have rejected West Ham’s bid and are demanding £80m for the Portugal international.
It is claimed that the Hammers are not optimistic about the prospect of luring Palhinha to the London Stadium and they will likely be required to fork out a club-record fee if they are to have any chance of acquiring his signature this summer.
West Ham’s current club-record transfer stands at £51m which they spent last summer on Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta from Lyon.
Fulham have no interest in selling Palhinha, who still has four years left on his contract after joining the Cottagers from Sporting Lisbon for £20m last summer.
Palhinha, who has also attracted interest from Barcelona, made a notable impression in his debut season with Fulham in 2022-23, starting 35 Premier League games and making a league-high 147 tackles as Marco Silva‘s men secured a 10th-placed finish.
Meanwhile, the same report also states that West Ham have has a loan offer for centre-back Harry Maguire rejected by Manchester United.
Moyes is keen to bolster his options in defence and provide competition for Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna and Thilo Kehrer, but the addition of at least one new midfielder is thought to be a priority for the Scotsman at present.
Along with Palhinha, Moyes is understood to have identified Ajax and Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez as a midfield target, with one report claiming that Hammers have made contact to sign the 25-year-old.
West Ham have also been strongly tipped to sign Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, who was on loan at Chelsea last summer, while Southampton‘s James Ward-Prowse, Everton‘s Amadou Onana and Bristol City‘s Alex Scott have also been linked with a summer switch to East London.
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