Juventus and West Ham United ‘continue to negotiate’ a deal for midfielder Denis Zakaria, with the two clubs currently apart in their valuations of him.
That’s according to Corriere dello Sport, who say the Italian side are keen to sell to West Ham this summer if they can.
They report that the ‘contacts are constant’ between the two clubs but at the moment there is a distance to be filled in terms of valuation.
The Bianconeri would like to collect €20-21m for the midfielder, but West Ham have stuck firmly to a valuation of €16-17m. Thus, there is at least a few million difference between the two parties.
Work is needed to get the two clubs closer to an agreement but there is a belief they could in fact ‘shake hands’ on a loan deal with a redemption ‘obligation’ set at around €18m. That could perhaps include bonuses based on performances to increase the total and get closer to Juventus’ demands.
At the moment a solution does not appear to be close, particularly with David Moyes confirming West Ham cannot do anything until Declan Rice is sold to Arsenal.
With the Hammers now confirming that move it would seem they would be free to start working on Zakaria, who would presumably be the replacement.
The player, for his part, has been excluded from Juventus’ squad, told to train separately and won’t be taking part in their tour of the United States.
He, then, is likely to be keen to move on as quickly as possible but that depends on West Ham and Juventus working out a deal that satisfies them both, something they are yet to do.
