West Ham are lining up TWO replacements for Declan Rice this summer with the England international expected to reel in a fee of more than £100million.
The England international is being pursued by the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich, while he enjoyed a fairytale farewell on Wednesday night as the Hammers beat Fiorentina to win the Europa Conference League.
West Ham owner David Sullivan has since confirmed Rice would be sold this summer, having previously turned down a lucrative offer to extend his contract. And David Moyes will soon go about the task of replacing his club captain, who has been pivotal to his European success.
And the West Ham manager will be able to negotiate from a position of strength as he seeks new acquisitions this summer, with their win in Prague confirming a place for his side in the Europa League for the 2023/24 season. Two Premier League stars are already being lined up for when Rice makes his expected move.
According to a report in The Telegraph , West Ham are the prime contenders to sign Leicester winger Harvey Barnes. The 25-year-old was one of the few bright spots in a campaign which saw the club relegated to the Championship, scoring 13 times.
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And Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is also being lined up. The Daily Mail has reported that despite the star only joining the Cottagers for £20million from Sporting 12 months ago, their London rivals are well placed to prise him across London for a similar fee.
Indeed, Palhinha, 25, has also made his mark at international level, capped 25 times by Portugal and playing in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He was a mainstay in the Fulham side this season, playing 35 times in the Premier League.
West Ham bosses will want a quick resolution to the Rice saga, and Mirror Football understands the midfielder's preferred move would be to Arsenal, who are in the market for reinforcements after finishing second in the Premier League this season. The North London club are expected to break their own transfer record to seal the deal.
Owner Sullivan, who implied he fully understood the intentions of Rice to move on, also hinted there could be more than two new signings through the door: "In due course, he (Rice) has to get on and we have to get a replacement - or several replacements," he told talkSPORT.
