‘I just wonder…’: Dharmesh Sheth makes J Joao Palhinha claim as West Ham ramp up Declan Rice replacement
Joao Palhinha may be keen to join West Ham United from Fulham this summer.
Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has explained why he believes Joao Palhinha could be interested in a move to West Ham in the summer transfer window.
Hammers boss David Moyes needs to bring in a top-class defensive midfielder with Declan Rice having left to join Arsenal.
And it seems as though Palhinha is one of his prime targets, although Fulham’s demands are proving to be a problem.
However, the Portugal international could always try to force through a move to the London Stadium…
Dharmesh Sheth makes Joao Palhinha claim as West Ham ramp up Declan Rice replacement search
The Sky Sports reporter has outlined how the Fulham ace may actually want to join the Hammers this summer:
“They will want to bring in, at least, two in midfield. From the outset, we knew that there was an interest in Joao Palhinha at Fulham, but initial talks early on in this transfer window indicated that there was a big gap in valuation compared to what West Ham were prepared to pay and what Fulham were asking for. I just wonder whether West Ham United have now got some sort of encouragement that Joao Palhinha maybe is interested in going there. Simply because West Ham have gone in with a bid now. It’s £45 million, but it has been rejected by Fulham. We are told that Fulham are not encouraging offers for a player they value at around £80 million.”
The Portugal international has been described as a ‘brilliant’ midfielder by Sky Sports, and he is certainly very competent at what he does.
I think that West Ham should walk away if Fulham continue to demand anything more than £40 million for Joao Palhinha though.
He’s 28, and is in no way good enough to replace Declan Rice on his own.
There are plenty more players available out there this summer. The likes of Khephren Thuram, Ibrahim Sangare and Sofyan Amrabat are all available for less than Palhinha and it could be argued that all three of them are better players than the Portuguese midfielder as well.
It’s time for Moyes to move on as far as I’m concerned
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West Ham United may be ready to accept a loan deal from AS Roma for striker
Gianluca Scamacca this summer after previously resisting it.
That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport, who say the striker could join Jose Mourinho’s side ‘shortly’ after West Ham opened up to the idea of a loan deal.
Scamacca has been linked with a return to Italy throughout this summer after a disappointing first year in England following a big money move to the London Stadium last year.
Roma are the ones currently leading the race for his signature as they look for a replacement for Tammy Abraham, who was injured at the end of last season and looks likely to miss the majority of this campaign as a result.
Scamacca is more than keen on the switch, but West Ham have proved resistant to Roma’s initial efforts to get a loan deal over the line.
Gazzetta now state that their stance has changed, and the Hammers are thinking of meeting Roma in the middle and could now accept an ‘onerous loan’.
That deal would see Roma pay around €3-4m for the initial loan and would include a ‘redemption obligation’ linked to appearances and qualification for the Champions League.
The belief is that after doing the deal with Arsenal for Declan Rice, West Ham have less need for money than they previously did and can now do a deal which Roma like.
It would also suit the Italian side as they could essentially hold out on paying a big sum for a year, which better suits their finances.
The deal will be done in the coming weeks, with the belief that once the Hammers return to London from their pre-season tour everything will be worked on and finalised.
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