Summary

West Ham United are chasing the signature of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher; however, it looks like the prospective transfer may be 'off' due to his hefty price tag, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Conor Gallagher moving to West Ham United?

According to The Daily Mail, West Ham fear that they will miss out on Gallagher this summer as he would prefer to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place under Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

The report states that the Hammers saw a £40 million bid plus add-ons turned down for the England international, who has also attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

Due to advances from West Ham, Chelsea are believed to have slapped a £50 million price tag on Gallagher's shoulders, though the Epsom-born man is 'relaxed' about his future, as per talkSPORT.

Gallagher has two years left on his deal at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are faced with the conundrum of this window potentially being the last chance to recoup a sizeable fee for the 23-year-old.

Last term, Gallagher made 45 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea and managed to register three goals and one assist, as per Transfermarkt.

West Ham source Sean Whetstone has claimed on Twitter X that Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was offered to the Hammers during talks for Gallagher, though he could be on his way to Fulham, who are in the 'box seat' to sign the 22-year-old, according to Football Insider.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that any notion of a deal for Gallagher is now 'off' due to Chelsea's asking price for the midfielder.

Jacobs told FFC: "The West Ham deal is off for now and I stress for now because it's a long window, but West Ham's bid was rejected around the £40 million mark and Chelsea are looking for; I would say, at least £45 million on preferable terms, but some even say £50 million, which would even be an increase on some of the numbers that the club were willing to sell Gallagher for in previous windows and the West Ham interest is obviously genuine, which is why they've placed a bid, but they're not prepared to go that high."

Who else could West Ham United sign this window?

According to The Sun, West Ham have seen a £25 million bid turned down for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse, who the Saints want closer to £40 million for before sanctioning his exit.

Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox confirmed the news, stating: "Have we rejected the bid? Yep. Is there another offer? Not as I know. I think when a club makes an offer, very rarely is it their full and final offer. If we get the right offer, we will consider it. Consider is an important word because we don’t have to sell."

Initial discussions have also taken place regarding Manchester United pair Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire; however, a gap in valuation currently exists for both players between West Ham and the Red Devils, as per Sky Sports.

Football Insider have claimed that West Ham are 'confident' that they can land Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez for between a fee of £35-40 million as David Moyes looks to fill the void left by Declan Rice in his engine room.