West Ham United are considering making a loan offer to sign wantaway Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria in this window.
According to Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness, West Ham United are pondering making a loan offer to sign Denis Zakaria from Juventus in this window. The Serie A giants are not overly relying on the 26-year-old Chelsea flop to make the grade for the upcoming season and contemplating another temporary move for the Swiss midfielder.
Denis Zakaria had a forgettable 2022/23 season after the 26-year-old failed to make the grade at Stamford Bridge. He arrived on last summer’s transfer deadline day and was expected to have a decent impact on Chelsea. Instead, the Swiss midfielder ended the campaign with only 11 games in all competitions and a single goal to his name.
Chelsea were expected to send him back to Juventus, and now the Serie A giants are considering offloading him. The Bianconeri were expectant to achieve a solid transfer fee in return. Still, due to last season’s performances, there is barely any interest in the 26-year-old flop.
West Ham United have shown an interest in recruiting the midfielder. The Hammers are in the market to find new midfielders to replace Declan Rice. They have seen many players mentioned in the media for that role, but their interest in the Swiss star seems concrete.
The Hammers are flush with cash after Arsenal decided to pay a record sum for Rice. They will want to use that money carefully and not splash like some other clubs did in the past. Hence, they are only contemplating a loan move for Zakaria, as they may have doubts after his disastrous season.
Zakaria remains a key player for the Swiss national side, which should hold some belief in this West Ham interest. While Juventus would ideally want cash and sell the player outright, they might contemplate another loan deal for the 26-year-old, as they will save on his wages for the coming season.
Juventus will likely include a buy option in any potential loan deal for Zakaria and are likely to charge a reasonable loan fee. They might even push to add an obligation cause. Still, the Hammers are unlikely to be interested in such a condition.
If the loan move transpires, it is a very good deal for West Ham. For starters, Zakaria has not proven his ability to adapt in the Premier League, and a loan deal allows the Hammers to gauge his levels during a season. The Swiss international may not become the only midfielder to come here in this window, as the Hammers may yet try for a more concrete option to replace Rice.
A loan with just an option to buy would be the smart plan for Zakaria .