West Ham remain confident of securing a deal to sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, despite seeing an opening offer of £40million rejected.
Chelsea want closer to £50m for the England international, who is also a target for Tottenham, and there is optimism at the London Stadium that an agreement can be reached.
The Hammers were interested in signing Gallagher this time last year, when the youngster was coming off the back of a successful loan spell at Crystal Palace. Thomas Tuchel, then in charge at Chelsea, eventually decided to keep him at the club and the 23-year-old went on to make 45 appearances for the Blues in all competitions last term.
However, he is now expected to leave as part of the ongoing Stamford Bridge exodus this summer.
West Ham are looking to make two midfield signings after selling club captain Declan Rice to Arsenal in a British record £105m deal. As a result of that sale, manager David Moyes has money to spend, but rival clubs are also well aware of that fact, which is making negotiations with selling clubs a challenge.
The Hammers have already had a bid worth up to £45m for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha rejected earlier this month, with the west London club wanting north of £60m for a player only signed from Sporting last summer.
The Portuguese had been among Moyes’s leading targets to replace Rice, but the club do not want to pay that much for a 28-year-old and the situation has, in any case, now been complicated by the shoulder injury Palhinha picked up during a pre-season friendly against Brentford in the United States on Sunday.
Negotiations are ongoing with Southampton over a deal for James Ward-Prowse, who is understood to be keen on the move as he targets a Premier League return following his boyhood club’s relegation.
The England international is another player Moyes has long-standing interest in and there are discussions as to whether Hammers midfielder Flynn Downes could move in the opposite direction as part of the deal, though it is not yet clear whether that would be on loan or in a permanent switch.
Moyes also retains interest in countryman Scott McTominay but Manchester United are reluctant to sell unless a significant offer comes in, with West Ham unlikely to pay over the odds while other options are still on the table.
