West Ham United made a €13 million offer to sign Denis Zakaria off Juventus as talks continue between the two sides.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, West Ham United have lodged a €13 million bid to sign Denis Zakaria. Juventus are open to a sale, but their valuation could be slightly higher than the latest offer from the Hammers.
Denis Zakaria could return to the Premier League if Juventus sanctioned a sale to West Ham United. The 26-year-old Swiss midfielder endured a troubled season while on loan at Chelsea and will want to prove himself in the biggest league possible.
Juventus had inserted a buy option of more than €20 million in his Chelsea contract, which the Blues did not take up after the season. Zakaria does not feature in Massimiliano Allegri’s plans for the upcoming season and may not travel with the squad for their USA pre-season tour.
Hence, the Bianconeri would like to conclude a transfer of the midfielder and other unwanted stars. Zakaria could lean towards a return to the Premier League, but the interest has been sporadic at best. West Ham seems like the only interested party, and they are working hard to conclude a deal.
They initially planned on a loan approach, but Juvensut might have indicated they were keen on a full sale of the midfielder. Hence, the Hammers have now lodged a bid worth €13 million, but the financial details of the breakdown remain unclear.
The bid is visibly worth less than Juventus anticipated but may not bother too much if they had to sanction a sale. Zakaria arrived on a cut-price deal from Borussia Monchengladbach in January 2022. It’s still a puzzling question as to why the Italian giants even signed him.
While they have not accepted West Ham’s offer, they could still profit from their investment if the €13 million bid gets through. The Hammers are looking for midfield reinforcements to cover for the loss of Declan Rice, who will join Arsenal in the coming days.
With the sale of their captain, the Hammers will receive a considerable fee to re-invest in their squad, as a few options have been discussed. They have also rekindled their old interest in Edson Alvarez, whose move to Borussia Dortmund fell through.
As for Zakaria, David Moyes may not see the Chelsea flop as a direct replacement for Rice but as someone who can bring a different quality. It’s still unclear where he would prefer to play, but he is likely in partnership with the holding midfielder and a box-to-box role.
