West Ham United could sign one of the continent’s very best attacking midfielders on a free transfer in the summer of 2024.
David Moyes could be set for transfer talks in January to bring a soon-to-be free agent to West Ham in the summer.
The Hammers boss needs to bolster his ranks at the London Stadium over the course of the next two transfer windows, with at least six new signings needed if we are to compete on all fronts.
So with that in mind, the opportunity to sign a top-class player for absolutely nothing will be one that appeals to both Moyes and the board.
According to Corriere dello Sport (print edition December 20th, pages 6+7), Napoli star Piotr Zielinski is firmly on the West Ham radar this winter – we actually tried to sign the 29-year-old last summer, but he remained with Napoli in the end.
The Poland international will be out of contract in Naples in the summer of 2024, meaning that the Hammers can make a pre-contract agreement with him anytime from January 1st onwards…
West Ham prepare for free transfer talks
The Hammers could be set to battle it out with Juventus for the signing of Zielinski on a free transfer.
I think that the Pole would be a massive upgrade on Tomas Soucek. Having said that, I do feel as though David Moyes should be targeting a younger model – he’ll be 30 in May after all.
Still, the thought of Zielinski playing alongside Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse in the middle of the park is an extremely exciting one.
Zielinski has bagged three goals and three assists in 21 games for Napoli this season and in the 2022/23 campaign, he racked up seven goals and 11 assists in 48 games (Transfermarkt).
In 15 Serie A outings this season, the Poland international has made 43.3 passes on average per game and has recorded an impressive completion rate of 85.8%. He has also made an average of 2.2 key passes per match (Who Scored).
Former Poland manager Paulo Sousa described the Napoli midfielder as ‘exceptional’ (The Guardian). He is clearly an elite player.
If West Ham do hold free transfer talks with Zielinski, and manage to sign him for absolutely nothing, it would be a great bit of business for the club.
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