West Ham United are reportedly plotting an audacious swoop for Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as a replacement for Declan Rice.
The Hammers have successfully fended off interest in captain Rice for the past couple of years, but his contract is due to expire at the end of next season.
Having failed to tie him down to longer terms, David Moyes's side have supposedly resigned themselves to losing the 24-year-old this summer, but they will still command a hefty fee for his services.
Moyes has frequently said that it would take anywhere between £100m and £150m to sanction Rice's exit, but West Ham may deem £60m to £80m an acceptable range given his contract situation.
The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are expected to battle for Rice, whose sale would boost West Ham's coffers in their search for a successor.
© Reuters
According to The Sun, the London club have put Milinkovic-Savic at the top of their transfer wishlist as the 27-year-old also ticks down the months on his Lazio contract.
As is the case with Rice, Milinkovic-Savic will become a free agent in 2024 as things stand, and he has been persistently linked with a move to the Premier League for the past couple of years.
Lazio have refused to enter negotiations over a transfer for the Serbia international, but a move away could come to fruition this year lest Lazio risk losing him for nothing at the end of next season.
Top clubs such as Arsenal and Man United have also been tipped to move for Milinkovic-Savic, but members of the 'Big Six' have seemingly cooled their interest as they move on to other targets.
As a result, the report claims that the midfielder could be an attainable target for West Ham, whose chief scout Alan Irvine has been keeping tabs on him in Italy recently.
© Reuters
Milinkovic-Savic has registered 64 goals and 59 assists in 324 games for Lazio since joining from Genk in 2015, including six goals and eight assists from 30 outings this season.
Should West Ham fail in their bid to lure Milinkovic-Savic to London, Moyes's side could supposedly try again for Kalvin Phillips after being snubbed by the Englishman last summer.
Phillips left Leeds United to join Manchester City in 2022, but he is down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola and is yet to start a Premier League game for the champions.
The 27-year-old has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2028, but he could be tempted into a swift exit if his playing situation does not improve in the coming months.
Ben Knapton
