West Ham consider midfield trio as Declan Rice replacement hunt intensifies
West Ham United have made a late move to try and snatch Ajax defensive midfielder Edson Alvarez away from the clutches of Borussia Dortmund, 90min understands, while bids for Kalvin Phillips and Joao Palhinha are also being considered.
The Hammers ended their 43-year trophy drought on Wednesday night when Jarrod Bowen's last-minute winner earned a 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final staged at Prague's Eden Arena.
Declan Rice became just the third West Ham captain to hoist major silverware above his head, following in the footsteps of club legends Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds, but the game is expected to be his last in claret and blue amid a glut of Premier League interest.
90min understands West Ham are braced for bids to come in for Rice - Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all interested in signing the 24-year-old who is valued at £100m - and majority owner David Sullivan revealed on Thursday the club had 'promised' to let him leave to further his ambitions.
Mexico international Alvarez was linked with Manchester United and Chelsea last summer but ended up staying at Ajax, who faltered in the Eredivisie last season after Erik ten Hag's departure.
90min revealed in May that Borussia Dortmund were confident of tying up a deal worth £30m to take Alvarez to the Bundesliga this summer - BVB have money to spend after agreeing to sell Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid for well over £100m - but sources have revealed West Ham have made a late move and held talks with the player's agent.
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The Hammers also showed interest in Alvarez last summer and the expectation is they will follow through with a bid to test Ajax's valuation.
West Ham are also considering making a bid for long-term target Kalvin Phillips, who has been unable to command regular first-team football at Manchester City. The 27-year-old penned a six-year contract when he joined in a deal worth £45m last summer but played just 291 minutes of Premier League football for the champions.
An offer could also be forthcoming for Joao Palhinha, with his stock at an all-time high after an impressive debut season in the Premier League. The Portuguese international arrived at Fulham for just £20m last summer but his value has soared after a string of commanding performances in the heart of Marco Silva's midfield.
West Ham will be able to offer Europa League football to any prospective new signing next season - their Europa Conference League winning exploits making up for a difficult Premier League campaign that yielded 20 defeats and a 14th place finish.
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