West Ham are in talks to sign Denis Zakaria on a permanent deal from Juventus as the club look to replace Declan Rice.
Zakaria spent last season on loan at Chelsea but failed to make an impression at Stamford Bridge and made just five Premier League starts. The 26-year-old struggled with fitness issues during his loan spell and Chelsea opted against activating a clause to make the move permanent.
The Switzerland international has now been informed that he is free to leave Juventus this summer and Sky Sports Italy’s Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that West Ham have opened talks over a deal.
The Hammers have had ‘two calls’ with Juventus to discuss terms on a potential deal for Zakaria, who made 146 appearances for Borussia Monchengladbach before an €8.6m move to Juventus in January 2022.
West Ham have been linked with a number of midfielders with club captain Declan Rice in talks with Manchester City and Arsenal over an exit from the London Stadium this summer.
The two clubs have both made offers for the England international, who West Ham value in the region of £100m. West Ham have also confirmed that Manuel Lanzini will leave when his contract expires on June 30.
