After ending their 2022/23 season in the best possible way with a Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina, West Ham are seemingly about to begin their new campaign by potentially losing out on one of their main summer targets.
With the Declan Rice transfer to Arsenal still not over the line, both David Sullivan and David Moyes are hamstrung in terms of bringing other players in.
That’s because it appears that the Rice money is what will be used for the purchase of new players before the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
Why else would there be little activity at this stage, when most Premier League clubs around them are going about their transfer business.
One player that has been on the Hammers radar for a while now is Juventus’ Swiss international, Denis Zakaria.
Moyes faces losing out on the player if the club can’t agree with the Serie A giants over how the deal should be structured.
“Ideally they (West Ham) would like Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus and that would be with no obligation to sign him permanently,” reliable journalist, Dean Jones, told Give Me Sport.
“That strategy is going to need a rethink though because my information suggests Juventus will not agree to such a deal.
“As I am understanding this, the Hammers need to agree a season-long loan but with an acceptance that it comes with the need to pay £15million after that to keep him on a permanent.
“The other route they could go down is to buy him now for just over £20million. As far as the Italian sources are concerned, those are the two options that will be on the table for them.”
For the sake of a few million euros, the east Londoners really need to bite the bullet and, as soon as they are able, get the deal over the line.
If they are unable to secure Zakaria, they’ll need to go back to the drawing board to decide on a Plan B effectively, and with only a month left until the first Premier League fixtures of the new campaign, that’s hardly an ideal scenario.
Sorry, Zakaria has hardly set the world alight to date and really do not see why we would want him at the LS; we can do better.
Juve are trying to dump an overpriced flop on Westham . They paid 8 million for Zakaria and now want 20 million for a player who has failed every year recently . Westham could gamble for 8 million , but no more . Don’t waste any more time and money on a peripheral squad player .
Westham should focus on Barnes , swap Ings and Downes for JWP and offer 8 million take it or leave it for Zakaria who’;s no better than Downes .