West Ham United are reportedly accelerating talks with Juventus to sign Denis Zakaria this summer.
According to Tuttosport, West Ham are willing to pay €13 million (£11 million) for Denis Zakaria but Juve want closer to €20 million (£17 million).
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David Moyes desperately needs to add some real physicality and athleticism to his central midfield ranks in the summer transfer window, after Declan Rice left the Hammers to join Arsenal.
And it seems as though the Scot has identified Zakaria as the man for the job…
West Ham closing in on Denis Zakaria but £6 million difference in valuations proving problematic
Tuttosport reckon that the Hammers and Juve are currently £6 million apart in their respective valuations of the Switzerland international.
I suspect that both clubs will meet in the middle somewhere – around £14-15 million, and I think that will end up being good value for West Ham.
The former Chelsea and Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder is a very good player, but he’s no where near good enough to replace Rice on his own.
So if Moyes does bring Denis Zakaria to West Ham, I fully expect him to supplement that signing by bringing in an elite defensive midfielder as well – someone like Sofyan Amrabat.
The Juventus midfielder would be a strong addition for the Hammers, and I must admit that £15 million or so sounds like exceptional value in what is an inflated market. Former BSC Young Boys coach Uli Forte labelled him as an incredible player with exceptional technical ability (Mondo Napoli).
If Moyes really wants Zakaria, he just needs to get this one wrapped up as soon as possible.
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