Youssouf Fofana on extensive West Ham target list as initial Joao Palhinha bid fails
- The Hammers began the post-Declan Rice era by beating Perth Glory 6-2 in a friendly
- David Moyes wants to strengthen in central midfield after losing his captain
- James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, Denis Zakaria, Scott McTominay among raft of targets
West Ham have failed with an initial move for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, 90min understands, but have an extensive target list that includes Monaco's Youssouf Fofana.
The Hammers officially bid farewell to captain Declan Rice on Saturday, with Arsenal completing a British-record £105m move for the 24-year-old after weeks of intense speculation.
Rice's departure leaves Tomas Soucek and Flynn Downes as David Moyes' only real defensive-minded midfield options - the latter played just 762 minutes of Premier League football last season, starting just seven times - while Lucas Paqueta and Pablo Fornals are two other options who can play centrally but thrive in the final third.
West Ham have been preparing for Rice's exit for some time, knowing their former captain needed to be sold this summer in order to extract maximum value, and 90min recently revealed that Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria is one player West Ham are interested in taking to London Stadium on loan with a potential option to buy.
The Swiss international remains a concrete target for West Ham, who appointed Tim Steidten as their new technical director at the beginning of July, but the club have an extensive number of players on their transfer shortlist - some who are players long admired by manager David Moyes, and others brought to the table by Steidten.
Sources have confirmed to 90min that an initial approach for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha has been rejected - a player West Ham first showed interest in prior to Steidten's arrival - and it remains to be seen whether or not a follow-up approach will be made.
Fulham are understood to value 28-year-old Palhinha at £80m, which would represent a significant profit on the £17.5m they paid Sporting CP for the Portuguese international less than a year ago. That figure is considered to be too high by West Ham, though there's a feeling that a deal is there to be done should the Hammers decide to stump a package worth £60m.
Youssouf Fofana of Monaco is also emerging as a player of significant interest to West Ham. The 24-year-old, who made his international debut for France last year and played in six of Les Bleus' seven games at the 2022 World Cup, has significant experience of playing in the Europa League and early stages of the Champions League, and could represent far better value for money should West Ham look to exploit Steidten's knowledge of the European market.
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There's also a strong interest in Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Southampton's James Ward-Prowse, who are both players that Moyes has been a fan of for a number of years. The former is a bit-part player under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, while the latter endured relegation from the Premier League last season and could be available for a reduced fee.
West Ham are also still progressing a move for Ajax's Edson Alvarez, who 90min recently revealed will not be joining Borussia Dortmund as planned. The Mexican international is valued at around £40m by the Eredivisie giants, and was previously linked with moves to Man Utd and Chelsea.
Kalvin Phillips remains in the frame too, despite his apparent willingness to stay and fight for his place at Manchester City. The 27-year-old started just two Premier League games for the champions last season, and may be tempted by the offer of regular football at West Ham as he bids to be a part of Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024.
Tyler Adams has also been offered to West Ham following Leeds' relegation, but there's no suggestion at this stage that the American international will be making his way to the capital.
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