West Ham have been told they will have to pay £50 million ($66m) if they want to sign Lazio star Felipe Anderson, Goal can confirm.
The Hammers have identified Anderson as a priority signing this summer, having appointed Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager following the departure of David Moyes.
However, sources have confirmed that talks have reached something of an impasse, with West Ham's most recent bid, worth £31m ($40m), plus £6m ($8m) in add-ons, not deemed high enough by the Italian club.
It is not the first bid the Hammers have put together; they previously made an offer worth £33m ($43.5m) in total.
Lazio, though, want £50m, made up of £40m ($52m) up front and £10m ($13m) in add-ons.
Anderson's wage demands, worth roughly £80,000-per-week, are well within West Ham's budget, but they are currently unwilling to raise their most recent offer.
The latest development in the saga is an intriguing one, with reports in Italy claiming that Lazio are scouting Gelson Martins, who recently left Sporting CP, as a potential replacement for Anderson.
Thus, there remains the possibility for the club to lower their asking price, but it has been communicated to Lazio that West Ham's latest offer is their final one.
There has been a suggestion that Chelsea are also interested in signing Anderson, but the Hammers are confident that there will not be a legitimate challenge for his signature from Stamford Bridge.
Indeed, there is even a feeling that Lazio may have pushed the idea of the Blues' interest to drive up the price they can demand for the Brazilian.
Anderson has been a long-serving member of Lazio's squad, joining the club in 2013 from Santos.
He has made nearly 180 appearances for the Serie A club, scoring 34 goals and providing 42 assists. He has also won one cap for Brazil, but was not included in Tite's squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
West Ham have already secured the signings of goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski and defender Issa Diop this summer.
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