West Ham United hold an interest in potentially bringing in Fulham's Joao Palhinha as a possible replacement for the expected departing Declan Rice.
How much will Declan Rice be sold for?
It was a trick 2022/23 campaign for the Irons in the Premier League which saw them battle away at the wrong end of the table for the majority of the campaign.
However, they were able to end their season on a monumental high earlier in the week after getting their hands on the Europa Conference League trophy.
Rice captained his side to European glory as well as Premier League survival which will mean the Hammers will play in the Europa League next season.
But it now looks unlikely that the 24-year-old will be playing in the second-string European competition at the London Stadium with speculation surrounding his future.
Indeed, according to reports, Arsenal are readying their initial bid for the England international as they look to bolster their side after putting in a serious title charge this term.
Although the Hammers look set to lose their biggest asset over the coming weeks, he will not leave east London for anything short of a significant fee.
It is believed the Hammers value Rice in excess of £100m ahead of the summer transfer window opening.
And with serious money soon to be in their pocket, insider Alex Crook has told TalkSPORT the Hammers are already eyeing Palhinha as a potential replacement for the 24-year-old:
"A name that was mentioned to me this [Friday] afternoon was Joao Palhinha of Fulham. He's somebody that West Ham have got serious interest in and you could understand why West Ham would have interest in him."
How much does Palhinha earn?
The Portuguese midfielder enjoyed a seriously impressive first campaign in the Premier League with Fulham where he racked up 35 league appearances.
Indeed, the 27-year-old was hailed a "tackling machine" by his teammate Harrison Reed and that is clear to see as he ranks inside the top percentile for tackles made (4.26 per 90 minutes) by midfielders across Europe (via FBref).
However, his aggressive style of play did come with some drawbacks considering he also racked up 14 yellow cards in the Premier League alone.
Although Palhinha did not provide the same attacking threat as Rice last season, the Portuguese midfielder did outperform the England international in almost every defensive department barring interceptions (via FBref).
Any potential move for the £50k-per-week midfielder this summer will be ambitious and could prove an expensive one to pull off given Fulham will be fully aware of the funds expected to be acquired for Rice's services.