West Ham United are now preparing an offer for Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka, with Thomas Tuchel willing to let the midfielder leave the Allianz Arena for around €50m (£43m) this summer, according to Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg.
What's the latest West Ham transfer news?
West Ham are searching for an heir to Declan Rice, and they have been heavily linked with a move for Fulham's Joao Palhinha, however The Athletic now report that a £45m offer for the Portugal international was knocked back by the Cottagers.
As such, the Hammers are not expected to go back in for the 28-year-old, and they will instead pursue other targets, having expressed their interest in signing Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez, with the Dutch side holding out for around £35m – £40m.
Other targets include James Ward-Prowse, Harvey Barnes and Alex Scott, however they are yet to make offers for any of those midfielders, and the Irons have now stepped up their interest in another new player.
According to Plettenberg, Goretzka is now emerging as a target for a number of clubs in England, saying: "Leon Goretzka is definitely a candidate whose situation is being watched very closely by the English, because they didn’t miss the fact that Goretzka was allowed to leave Bayern.
"Bayern is currently considering a fee of €40m to €50m. Tuchel would definitely let him go because Tuchel wants to create space in the squad. Tuchel would like to sign a player who, in his perception, has the profile of Declan Rice," (via Sport Witness).
The story, which originally comes from Sky Sports Germany, goes as far to say that West Ham are now preparing an offer for the German, but they may have to fend off interest from Manchester United, who are also vying for his signature.
Is Leon Goretzka signing for West Ham?
At the moment, it does not seem likely that the 28-year-old will be moving to the London Stadium, as Plettenberg has now stated the Bayern Munich midfielder has no intention of leaving the German champions this summer.
The Germany international remains a "dream target" for the Hammers, however, which indicates they could still be willing to make a move for him at some stage in the transfer window, if the player changes his stance.
Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann has previously lauded the maestro, saying: "Leon is one of the best box-to-box players in Europe. He has incredible goal threat and knows when to bomb forward."
With Rice recently completing a move to Arsenal, it could be essential to replace the England international with someone also capable of playing in a box-to-box role, and Goretzka could be an excellent signing.
There are indications the Bayern star could be an improvement on Rice in some areas, given that he has averaged considerably more non-penalty goals and assists per 90 than the 24-year-old over the past year.
For now, the central midfielder is unwilling to leave, but if he does become available at some point this summer, West Ham should undoubtedly pursue a move.