West Ham United are reportedly planning an ambitious move to sign Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka this summer.
The Hammers are in the market for a new centre-midfielder after receiving £105m from the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal.
A host of midfielders have been linked with a transfer to the London Stadium including Joao Palhinha, who was recently the subject of a £45m bid from West Ham that was rejected by Fulham.
The likes of Ajax's Edson Alvarez, Juventus' Denis Zakaria, Southampton's James Ward-Prowse and Chelsea's Conor Gallagher are also believed to be on West Ham's radar, but a new name has since emerged as a possible target for David Moyes.
According to Sky Deutschland reporter Florian Plettenberg, Goretzka has been identified as West Ham's 'dream' target to replace Rice this summer.
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Plettenberg adds that Bayern currently value the 28-year-old Germany international, who still has three years left on his contract at the Allianz Arena, between €40m (£34.4m) and €50m (£42.9m).
West Ham may face stern competition from fellow Premier League club Manchester United, although Plettenberg claims that they are focused on a deal to sign Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina.
It is understood that Bayern are willing to entertain offers for Goretzka, who fell out of favour with the Bundesliga giants towards the end of last season following the arrival of head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Tuchel, who has already signed Konrad Laimer on a free transfer this summer, is determined to sign a new No.6, and he is prepared to let Goretzka leave to create space within his first-team squad.
The Bayern boss is planning to start the new season with Laimer and Joshua Kimmich as his first-choice midfield pair, while the likes of Marcel Sabitzer – returning from his short-term loan at Man United – Ryan Gravenberch and versatile new recruit Raphael Guerreiro are also competing for first-team places.
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However, Plettenberg claims that Goretzka has expressed his desire to stay at Bayern and does not want to hold talks with any other club over a summer transfer.
Goretzka joined Bayern from Schalke 04 in the summer of 2018 and has since made 179 appearances in all competitions, scoring 34 goals and providing 35 assists.
The box-to-box midfielder has won 13 trophies with the German giants including five Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokals and the Champions League.
Should a big-money move for Goretzka to West Ham fail to materialise, the Hammers could step up their pursuit of England international Gallagher, as Sky Deutschland reports that talks have entered an advanced stage with Chelsea, who value the midfielder between £21.5m and £30m.
Oliver Thomas
