Trouble is brewing at Fulham and it could be great news for West Ham as a new claim is made over their Joao Palhinha pursuit.
West Ham and Fulham are two of only three Premier League clubs yet to make a signing in the summer transfer window.
But after the £105m sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal, that looks set to change very quickly for West Ham.
Fulham however find themselves in pre-season turmoil if reports are to be believed.
Fulham’s star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic – a former West Ham target – is agitating for a move to Saudi Arabia.
One of the Cottagers’ best players last season – Willian – has turned down a new deal and is signing for Nottingham Forest.
Trouble brewing at Fulham could be great news for West Ham as new claim made over Joao Palhinha pursuit
And manager Marco Silva is refusing to sign a new contract after being disappointed by Fulham’s lack of transfer activity.
The trouble brewing at Fulham could be great news for West Ham as a new claim made over their Joao Palhinha pursuit.
The Hammers are said to have identified the Portugal defensive midfielder as one of their prime targets to replace Rice.
It was revealed last month that West Ham have already held talks with Palhinha and his representatives over a move.
It’s easy to see why West Ham want the Fulham star. There was nobody better than Palhinha in defensive midfield across Europe’s top five leagues last season.
Report: West Ham remain ‘genuinely interested’ in Palhinha
Things had gone a touch quiet on the Palhinha front. But a new report from The Sun this weekend claimed there is still genuine interest from West Ham in signing the 28-year-old.
With star players leaving and pushing to leave and the manager’s future uncertain at Fulham, that can only give West Ham encouragement over Palhinha.
Especially as reports claim Fulham could be open to a sale at the right price.
The Guardian have previously stated that the Cottagers value Palhinha at £50m. That looks too steep for West Ham given they can get younger stars such as Edson Alvarez for between £30-40m.
But crucially, those reports claim Fulham may be forced to sell for a lower fee if the player starts pushing for a move.
