West Ham face Aston Villa and German competition for Juventus star Denis Zakaria amid £15.6m update
West Ham face competition from Premier League rivals Aston Villa for the signature of Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The outlet reported (21 July) that while talks between the Hammers and Juventus over Zakaria have been ongoing for a number of weeks, a host of German clubs and Unai Emery’s side have also enquired about last season’s Chelsea loanee.
However, the Bianconeri are reportedly only keen on a £15.6million permanent sale for the Switzerland international, or a loan with an obligation to buy.
Speed needed
Despite the rapid growth of West Ham after last season’s success, Aston Villa could be a more attractive offer to Zakaria and the Hammers will need to act quickly if they want to secure their man.
West Ham’s Europa Conference League win last month sees them qualify for the Europa League, which goes a long way in their ability to attract higher-quality players. However, Villa themselves will be reentering Europe for the first time in 13 years after their seventh-place league finish, so both have the pull to be able to land Zakaria.
But the Hammers must recruit in the midfield after their £105million sale of captain Declan Rice to Arsenal [Sky Sports] if they are to improve on their form last season.
Zakaria proved his ability to perform in the Premier League last season during his loan spell with Chelsea but may look to have a stronger impact at West Ham with a permanent move.
Villa themselves have undergone some shrewd business in their attempts to improve the midfield with the signing of former Leicester City man Youri Tielemans on a free transfer.
Villa Park’s midfield is also stronger than West Ham’s, so Emery may struggle to guarantee Zakaria regular game time, which in turn makes East London a more exciting prospect.
The former Borussia Mönchengladbach star would replace many of Rice’s key attributes in the middle of the park for the Hammers. His 2.22 progressive passes per 90 (82nd percentile) and 88.9% pass completion (95th percentile) show him to be a dominant force and adept at springing counterattacks.
West Ham must be weary of Villa and will must act quickly to secure their man.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers’ “dream” summer signing may be unwilling to relocate amid transfer speculation.