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West Ham United face battle to sign Juventus defender Koni De Winter, Euro giants to evaluate in the summer
West Ham United are reportedly keen on signing the Juventus defender Koni De Winter, according to Italian outlet TuttoJuve.
The report [23 March] claims that Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Southampton are keeping tabs on the Belgian talent as well.
De Winter is currently impressing on loan at Italian club Empoli and he has been a useful first-team player, going on to feature in 12 Serie A games so far this season and the Hammers were previously linked [Corriere dello Sport, 26 November], with a £10.3m fee believed to be enough to secure his signature.
The Italian outlet also reveals that the talented centre-back will return to The Old Lady for pre-season in the summer to “try to take all his chances to win a place in the squad.”
But, if De Winter fails to convince Max Allegri, “the doors could open to a definitive sale.”
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Winter has made 12 appearances in the Series A side so far, and he gives the impression of a cracking young talent.
With the club set to undergo a huge summer rebuild, acquiring young talents to help develop and nurture seems the ideal way to go for the East Londoners to build a sustainable future and club model.
West Ham United have had endured fair share of injury and fitness issues at centre-back with all of Nayef Aguerd, Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma all suffering periods on the treatment table this season, which means the club are certainly likely to add to their defensive options this summer.
Providing De Winter fails to convince The Old Lady during preseason, the Hammers should certainly be one of the first in the queue for his signature given his amazing potential and the number of clubs currently interested in his services.
However, if the Irons are to acquire top talents in the near future, their status as a Premier League club for next season must be secured and that is incredibly paramount for the upcoming crucial fixtures.