West Ham have £45m bid for Declan Rice replacement rejected by Premier League rivals
Fulham have rejected a bid worth up to £45million from West Ham for midfielder Joao Palhinha.
The Hammers are looking to find replacements in midfield for Declan Rice, who officially left the club this week and joined Arsenal for an initial £100million transfer fee.
Palhinha is near the top of West Ham's list of targets after his excellent debut season in the Premier League with the Whites, who he helped to finish tenth in the table upon their return from the Championship.
The 28-year-old, whose current deal at Craven Cottage doesn't expire until 2027, made 35 league appearances last season, making more tackles (147) than any other player in the top flight following his move from Sporting last summer.
Fulham want £80million for the Portuguese international if they are to let him go, with the Whites also battling to keep hold of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic who is attracting interest from Al Hilal in Saudia Arabia.
West Ham have also been looking at Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez, who was close to joining Borussia Dortmund last month and who almost joined Chelsea last summer. The Mexico international is valued at £45million by his club.
West Ham have already lined up £40m Declan Rice transfer replacement Chelsea wanted last summer
Plenty of other names have been considered, with the Guardian reporting that Denis Zakari (Juventus), Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), Alex Scott (Bristol City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) and Amadou Onana (Everton) are all under consideration.
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