West Ham are reportedly in talks to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha to replace Declan Rice, with Liverpool also interested in the Portuguese international.
According to TalkSport, the Irons have begun discussions with their London rivals over signing Palhinha, with West Ham hopeful that £40m will be enough to prise the former Sporting Lisbon superstar away from Craven Cottage this summer.
West Ham are far from alone in their interest in Palhinha, though, with the Liverpool Echo reporting this weekend that Liverpool are also keeping tabs on the Fulham superstar, with a price tag of £90m being quoted this time around for the midfield dynamo.
Indeed, with Rice leaving West Ham for a British record fee of £105m, the Hammers could be expected to pay a huge fee for any player they target to replace the England international. And for Liverpool, David Moyes’ side could struggle big time to lure Palhinha to the London Stadium.
West Ham might have bitten off more than they can chew with Palhinha
Palhinha was one of the revelations of the Premier League last season. And with West Ham now thinking they can somehow sign the midfielder for just £40m, the east London side might be in for a shock when it comes to actually submitting a bid for the Liverpool target.
As we know, West Ham now have money to spend after Rice’s departure to Arsenal. And for Liverpool, watching the Irons stumble in their bid to sign Palhinha could help Jurgen Klopp greatly in his own pursuit to bring the Portuguese international to Anfield this summer as their own defensive midfield replacement for Fabinho.
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