West Ham seek deal for £40m Liverpool playmaker

A new, serious suitor has emerged in the race for Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott.

The 22-year-old lit up the recent UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship - leading England to the title with five goals along the way.

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But his club future remains unresolved - with the playmaker failing to win over Arne Slot during the Dutchman’s first season in charge.

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Elliott only made TWO Premier League starts all season and finds himself well adrift of Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah in the pecking order.

Elliott linked with several PL clubs

The arrival of new signing Florian Wirtz will only make Elliott’s problems worse as he excels as a No10.

With Liverpool looking at outgoings to counter the £200m they’ve spent so far in the summer window, Elliott has been suggested as one of the players who could leave.

He won’t be short of suitors and Liverpool would be looking at earning £40m to £50m for a player who is contracted until 2027.

The two-time title winner has got supporters at Brighton and Newcastle United and now La Gazzetta Dello Sport (via West Ham Zone) claims West Ham are now joining the chase.

West Ham want Elliott

With Mohammed Kudus a target for Tottenham and others - and uncertainty surrounding the fate of Lucas Paqueta - the Hammers are in need of creative reinforcements.

Elliott fits the bill for Graham Potter’s side - who could guarantee him more first-team football than Liverpool can.

But watch out for Brighton; the Seagulls are described as frontrunners in the report with Matt O’Riley set to depart.

Elliott therefore has been earmarked as the Denmark international’s replacement. As well as Wirtz, Liverpool have signed Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer.

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With Darwin Nunez set to leave and Jarell Quansah already gone, it seems a centre-forward and a centre-back will be on Liverpool’s to-do list before the window closes.