Contact made: West Ham make movs to sign "world-class" £40m+ Bayern star

West Ham United have now made contact over a deal to sign a “world-class” midfielder, and his club could be willing to sanction a departure in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

West Ham’s summer transfer plans taking shape

The summer is edging ever closer, which presents Graham Potter with his first real opportunity to put his own stamp on the squad he inherited from Julen Lopetegui, having arrived at the London Stadium in the middle of the January transfer window.

It has been a poor season by the Hammers’ recent standards, with Potter’s side languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table, which means the manager could oversee a mass exodus of first-team players.

As many as ten players could be moved on this summer, including Guido Rodriguez, Niclas Fullkrug, Emerson Palmieri, and Michail Antonio, with the manager clearly planning a serious rebuild.

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The Irons are in pole position.

It seems likely the Irons will need to bring in a new striker, given that Antonio and Fullkrug could be moved on, with both forwards now in their twilight years, while Rodriguez’s departure could pave the way for the arrival of a new defensive midfielder.

According to a report from The Boot Room, West Ham have now made contact over a deal for Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha, who could be allowed to leave the Allianz Arena this summer, having endured a difficult debut campaign in Germany due to injuries and illness.

Fulham have also made an approach for their former midfielder, who joined Bayern in a £42m deal last summer, so there could be competition for his signature this summer.

Palhinha intends to stay and fight for his place at Bayern, so it remains to be seen whether a transfer is possible this summer, but should he become available, it appears as though the Hammers could look at taking him to the London Stadium.

“World-class” Palhinha could be fantastic Hammers signing

The central midfielder’s move to Bayern hasn’t panned out how he would’ve liked up to this point, but he is clearly a very talented player, having already proven himself in the Premier League with Fulham.

During his time with the Cottagers, the Portugal international was lauded as “world-class” by reporter Dom Smith, and he has continued to impress from a defensive point of view since completing a move to the Bundesliga.

The 29-year-old ranks highly across some key metrics for midfielders over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, most notably impressing with his tackling ability.

Palhinha could be a fantastic signing for West Ham, given that he has already proven himself in the Premier League, but it remains to be seen whether a deal is possible, given the midfielder’s commitment to making things work at Bayern Munich.