West Ham United are reportedly set to press ahead with a move to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham.
According to the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg, Joao Palhinha is now the number one central midfield target for West Ham after a move to sign Edson Alvarez hit a brick wall.
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It is suggested that the Hammers believe Alvarez is too expensive for £45 million, so will instead try to bring Palhinha, 27, to the London Stadium.
Here’s the strange thing though – Fulham are demanding £50 million for Palhinha.
So why on earth would the Hammers view that as good value for money but decide against a move to sign someone who’s two years younger and £5 million cheaper than the Portugal international?
I suppose you could say that the Fulham star is Premier League proven, and that always means that the price will be a premium.
And it seems as though West Ham are ready to crack on with their pursuit of the Fulham man…
Jacob Steinberg shares utterly baffling £50 million Joao Palhinha West Ham transfer claim
David Moyes needs to sign a top-class defensive midfielder with Declan Rice heavily expected to leave the club this summer.
And the Guardian’s Jacob Steinberg claims that Palhinha could be the man for the job at the London Stadium.
It was recently claimed that the Hammers are very keen to sign the 27-year-old midfielder, and now it seems as though the East London outfit are ready to ramp up their pursuit.
Palhinha is a very good player, don’t get me wrong, but this makes absolutely no sense to me.
Sure, Moyes might prefer Premier League proven players but come on, how can you turn down Edson Alvarez for £5 million less than what the Fulham midfielder is available for?
As I’ve said before, the Portugal international is a good player, but we shouldn’t be paying anywhere near £50 million for him, and Alvarez is on another level to the Fulham midfielder in my opinion.
West Ham should be prioritising a move for the Mexican rather than Joao Palhinha. However, it appears as though Moyes thinks the complete opposite, unfortunately.
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