‘They are deciding’: Sky journalist says West Ham are toying with the idea of signing £80m player
West Ham United still need to sign their Declan Rice replacement.
Indeed, the £105m player still hasn’t been replaced at the London Stadium, but it’s not for the lack of trying.
The Hammers have had a £45m bid rejected for Joao Palhinha, with Fulham reportedly holding out for £80m, but according to Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, speaking on the Transfer Talk Podcast, the east London club are toying with the idea of making another offer.
Sheth stated that West Ham are trying to figure out whether or not they should go and make another offer for Palhinha.
2nd bid considered
Sheth shared what he knows about Palhinha and West Ham.
“They had a £45m bid rejected by Fulham for Joao Palhinha. They are deciding whether or not to go back in for Palhinha. Fulham value him at around £80m, but I wonder if that is just the start of negotiations and a compromise can be made halfway between those two figures,” Sheth said.
Worth it
£80m is massive money for Palhinha, but at the end of the day, he may well be worth it.
The midfielder was imperious for Fulham last season. He made more tackles and interceptions combined than any other player in England, and he would suit this David Moyes side to a tee.
Of course, West Ham need to really consider what they’re going to do with this Rice money, but there are worse ways to spend the windfall than going out and grabbing a Premier League proven midfielder who ticks pretty much every box that West Ham would be looking for.
This is certainly one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.