West Ham are wasting their time and energy by not making tempting offers for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, as per transfer expert Dean Jones. 

The Hammers are left with no option but to bolster their midfield following the departure of Declan Rice who moved to Arsenal on a British transfer record fee.

David Moyes’ side has been linked with a host of midfielders including Conor Gallagher, but it seems they are keen to land Palhinha from Fulham.

The Cottagers could lose their star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer. The Serbian international is on his way to joining Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal, but Fulham are not willing to let Palhinha go cheaply.

West Ham see the Portuguese midfielder as a perfect replacement for Rice. However, Fulham have rejected two bids from them already.

The Cottagers rejected an initial approach last week and 90min claim another offer in the region of £50m has been turned down by the London club.

Jones has exclusively told SportsBuffer that it would take an “extortionate bid to change their mind”, but West Ham think otherwise.

The Hammers thought that the player could be interested in joining them but their bids were not close to Fulham’s valuation of the player.

The respected journalist says that the move is unlikely to happen, but it could be a different story if Liverpool or Tottenham make a formal approach.

“So far West Ham’s Palhinha chase has been a waste of time and energy,” said Jones.

“Fulham made it clear very early on that he was not for sale and that it would take an extortionate bid to change their mind but West Ham didn’t seem to believe it, they thought the player could be interested and that it would provide a twist in the tale.

“But the lure hasn’t been great enough and the bids from West Ham haven’t been close to getting Fulham to cave in.

“It’s unlikely this move happens and that’s one threat crossed off the list for Fulham. They were never especially worried about West Ham but a bid from Tottenham or Liverpool could be a different story.”

Meanwhile, Palhinha has suffered a shoulder injury during Fulham’s pre-season victory over Brentford in the United States.

He has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, and it will be interesting to see if they come up with a bid for the 28-year-old, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho heading for the exit.