Fulham demand £90MILLION for Palhinha as West Ham target Portuguese midfielder

Fulham have slapped a remarkable £90million valuation on Joao Palhinha in a bid to dissuade potential suitors including West Ham from signing their defensive midfielder this summer.

Senior sources at Fulham say they are using the £100m asking price for Declan Rice as a benchmark. West Ham are one of the clubs interested in Palhinha as a replacement for Rice.

Palhinha is 27 years old while Rice is only 24 – and not considered to be at the same level in quality – but Fulham feel in a strong position with their player tied down until 2027.

Interested rivals will not entertain Fulham's £90m figure but may test their resolve with lower offers, most feeling the tough-tackling midfielder is worth closer to £50m.

Palhinha has impressed since joining Fulham for £20m from Sporting Lisbon last summer.

The 27-year-old quickly established himself as a key part of Marco Silva's side that defied expectations to comfortably finish in the top half of the table.

Palhinha made 40 appearances in all competitions for the Cottagers in his debut season at the club.

The Portuguese international anchored a robust Fulham midfield and led the league with 147 tackles last term.

His excellent performances also led to interest from across the Premier League's top six, with both Manchester United and Liverpool reportedly keeping tabs on the defensive midfielder.

Arsenal will return with a third offer for No 1 target Rice after seeing their latest bid worth £90million rejected by West Ham.

As revealed by Mail Sport on Tuesday - the Gunners' new bid, believed to be worth £75million in guaranteed cash with an extra £15m in add ons - has been turned down as the Hammers continue to hold out for a minimum £100m.

West Ham reportedly have an interest in Ajax star Edson Alvarez, should a move for Palhinha prove fruitless.

The Mexico international has impressed since joining Ajax from America in 2019 and has won two Eredivisie titles during his time in the Netherlands.

West Ham would face competition from Borussia Dortmund for the 25-year-old's signature with the club having sent Alvarez a contract ahead of a potential move to the Bundesliga runners-up.