West Ham talks to sign midfield target have ‘cooled off’ – Hammers and club can’t find ‘fair’ middle ground

It appears that West Ham United are having second thoughts about moving for Denis Zakaria if the latest information from Italy is to be believed.

Both Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport have updates on the situation on Thursday, and it doesn’t look overly good if you are a fan of the Hammers awaiting the Switzerland international.

We’ll start with the former of the two, who explain that while West Ham remain ‘in pole position’ for the midfielder, they have ‘not yet sunk the blow’.

Juventus initially wanted €20m, but that is seen as ‘negotiable, although neither side have found a middle ground that is considered ‘fair by both’.

That has allowed other clubs, such as RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen to try their luck, but it’s stated they haven’t gone further than an initial enquiry for the time being.

As for Corriere, they are a bit less upbeat about it all, as they state that Zakaria may remain the ‘closest to crossing the gates’ for an exit, but the lack of agreement with West Ham is problematic.

The two clubs were in talks, but the track ‘has cooled off a bit lately’ from the Hammers’ side of things, as Juventus ‘remain firm’ in wanting to get €20m for a player who barely played last season on loan at Chelsea.

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West Ham: Samuel Iling-Junior could be Bowen’s heir

West Ham are one of several clubs in the race for Samuel Iling-Junior this summer.

Who wants to sign Samuel Iling-Junior?

According to Il Bianconero (via Sport Witness), the Hammers, alongside Fulham and Everton, are keen on Iling-Junior and have made ‘concrete’ moves to try and bring the player to England.

The English sides have all ‘concretely come forward’ to assess the youngster and their respective next moves.

It is understood that Juventus are flexible in allowing the 19-year-old to leave, either through a permanent sale or a loan with an obligation to buy.

The Old Lady values the winger, who can also play as a left wing-back at around €20m (£17m) and his contract in Italy doesn’t expire until 2025.

What is Samuel Iling-Junior’s style of play?

Iling-Junior began his career in Chelsea’s academy system in 2011, spending nine years with the West London outfit.

However, in 2020, he decided to leave the Blues and signed a deal later that year with Juventus. In 58 appearances for the Italian youth teams, he registered 29 goal contributions.

Thanks to this string of impressive performances, he made his Serie A debut in October 2022, coming on as a late substitute for Filip Kostic against Empoli. Later that month, the 2003-born gem then made his first Champions League appearance against Benfica, and within six minutes, he created an assist for Arkadiusz Milik.

At the end of last season in May, Iling-Junior made his first Serie A start and netted his first goal with the Senior side in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

In a short space of time, the forward has already forged a promising reputation thanks to his exciting talent and buzzing dynamism.

Michele Neri from Eurosport Italy has eulogised his potential, saying: “He has a great sense for dribbling and a speed from a standing start that other Juventus players do not have.

“He is an assist machine, but he can also score, especially when his movements off the ball allows him to find space in the penalty area.

“However, with the first team he has only scored one goal so far… so in terms of the next thing to work on I would say he can turn more chances into goals.”

From a West Ham perspective, Neri’s most telling comment is that the £11k-per-week starlet is a “very quick player, who loves to take on opposing full-backs and attack the vertical spaces, in a very direct way.”