REPORT: West Ham submit £13m bid for Juventus Midfielder as club make move to sign player as Declan Rice replacement
West Ham have submitted a bid of £13million for Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, but face competition for the Swiss international’s signature from Champions League-qualifying Ligue 1 side Lens, according to a report from TuttoJuve.
Both clubs have reportedly (28 June) submitted similar bids for the 26-year-old, who recently spent last season in loan with Chelsea. However, Juventus are asking for at least £17million.
Renowned Journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed West Ham’s interest in the player last week but also stated that the Hammers face stiff competition for the player’s signature.
Declan Rice’s move away from the London Stadium appears imminent, so West Ham will be looking to add depth to their midfield ahead of their Premier League and Europa League campaigns next season.
David Moyes will be looking to add depth to his team for the coming season.
A large squad will be needed to compete both in the Premier League and the Europa League, where West Ham will be looking to improve on their last Europa League campaign which ended in heartbreak in the semi-finals against eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
Zakaria may be the first piece in the puzzle to replace their captain Rice, whose switch to Arsenal is edging closer to confirmation.
West Ham have been linked with Zakaria since last week [Fabrizio Romano], but now face genuine competition from Ligue 1 runner-ups RC Lens.
Lens’ qualification for the Champions League puts them in a very strong position to attract a quality of talent that would otherwise be unattainable to a side who were only promoted to France’s top-flight in 2020.
That being said, West Ham would be in a stronger position to offer Zakaria a higher salary to entice the midfielder, whose tackling, ball distribution and imposing height have seen him nicknamed “the new Patrick Vieira”[CFC Central].
While Zakaria had a relatively slow season at a drastically-underperforming Chelsea side last season, his achievable price tag makes him a desirable asset for the Hammers who have assessed other midfield targets including Everton’s Amadou Onana [GiveMeSport].
However, with a big transfer window ahead for the Irons, they will not be keen on entering a bidding war. They will need to stretch their budget as far as possible to ready themselves for what looks to be a busy season in east London.
