West Ham United ready opening approach to sign Joao Palhinha as Fabrizio Romano shares Sunday morning update
West Ham are preparing their first approach to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 27-year-old only joined the West London side from Portuguese club Sporting last summer, signing a five-year contract at Craven Cottage.
But Romano notes that the Hammers have identified Palhinha as their ideal replacement for Declan Rice, who looks certain to leave the club.
“West Ham are preparing their first approach for Joao Palhinha,” Romano posted on Twitter. “Not an easy deal with Fulham but he’s top of the list for West Ham to replace Declan Rice.”
Discussing the midfielder recently live on talkSPORT, pundit Danny Murphy labelled the midfielder “phenomenal.”
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Several players have struggled to get to grips with the Premier League in their opening campaign, but that was not the case for Fulham ace Palhinha, who immediately took to the competition following his move from Sporting.
He impressed both on and off the ball, with his tough tackling and expert passing helping Fulham to an impressive tenth-place finish in the table last season.
Unfortunately for the Cottagers, those impressive displays from their midfield maestro have caught the attention of several top clubs, and they could find it hard to keep him at the club beyond the summer.
But equally unfortunate for the Hammers is that they will no doubt find themselves in a tough battle for his services over the coming weeks.
The East London outfit will be in need of a no-nonsense midfielder amid the impending exit of captain and star man Rice, and it’s clear to see why they have identified Palhinha as their number one target to fill that gap.