Jan Ziółkowski has managed to show glimpses of his quality at AS Roma this season and is now attracting West Ham interest.
Earlier this year, Sport Witness covered claims from Poland that Newcastle United have been scouting the defender. This came amidst the centre-back’s reduced playing time at Roma, after starting some games at the turn of the year.
That was in the absence of Evan Ndicka, who had left for AFCON with Ivory Coast. His return has impacted Ziółkowski, whose last start in Serie A came in the first week of January.
He’s played in the last two games but has accumulated only a total of eight minutes.
Preparations are now ongoing to help him seal an exit, with West Ham keeping an eye on the situation.
Intermediaries trying to secure exit
Il Romanista take a close look at possible exits from the Giallorossi. They are likely to be forced by UEFA FFP to make capital gains before the end of June. Failure to do that can leave them at risk of a fine or a sanction.
The likes of Manu Kone, Ndicka and Mile Svilar are major candidates to leave, as things stand. But that doesn’t rule out Ziółkowski’s exit.
The 20-year-old is said to be seeking more playing time, with the Premier League viewed as a possible destination. As a result, an intermediary has been put to work to seek offers from England.
Roma want €20m for his permanent exit, with West Ham ‘foremost’ in the race. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side won’t mind his exit, as the sale of some lesser known players can help them meet the financial goal by June.
They paid €6m to Legia Warsaw last year and feel his stature has grown enough for a capital gain.
Our take: Deal can go either way
Ziółkowski has done well whenever called upon to do a job at Roma. He is still quite young and hasn’t played enough to truly prove consistent.
This will make a move to West Ham rather risky, especially if they stay in the Premier League.
Due to Roma’s financial worries, a deal could be done for less than €20m.
