Having seen many players return from unsuccessful loans with options to buy, Juventus are now trying to offload the deadwood.
One of the players in that group is Denis Zakaria, who spent the entirety of last season on loan at Chelsea, where he made a total of 11 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal.
That doesn’t mean that clubs didn’t take note of, or remember, what he is capable of doing, and West Ham United have been reported as being very keen on the Switzerland international, with the latest coming from Corriere dello Sport.
They first need to make sure the Declan Rice sale goes through, with the Hammers yet to announce the record sale of their midfielder, and then they will be able to look at replacing him.
Still, some talks are taking place, with Corriere dello Sport explaining this week will be crucial for Juventus when it comes to gathering funds.
It’s explained that with officials from the Serie A side undergoing some ‘travels’ to meet clubs, West Ham United should be one of their pit stops ‘to evaluate the loan transfer’ of the midfielder ‘by setting a right of redemption which will be necessary to negotiate’.
This is a bit of a difference stance from what has been said elsewhere, with previous reports suggesting that the Hammers would be coming in with a permanent transfer offer rather than a temporary one.
After all, once they have the money from the Rice deal, West Ham shouldn’t have to think too much about money for a while.
Then again, it might be better to be prudent when it comes to Zakaria, especially after a far from plentiful campaign in 2022-23.
