West Ham United have opened talks to sign Duvan Zapata as they look to hijack Everton in the race fro the Atalanta striker.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who claim that the Hammers have now moved into the race for Zapata.
This comes after The Sunday Mirror (15/01, p70) reported that Everton have opened talks to bring Zapata to Merseyside.
It’s suggested that Zapata would actually prefer a move to London, possibly putting West Ham in the driving seat.
Atalanta allegedly value Zapata at around £25million but you can be sure that West Ham, Everton and Nottingham Forest will be trying to bring down that fee.
All three clubs are in the market for strikers this month and Zapata appears to be a prime target for the trio.
West Ham missed out on Duvan Zapata last January
West Ham have been interested in signing Zapata for some time now and actually missed out last January.
Hammers boss David Moyes told the London Evening Standard that a deal for Zapata was ‘done’ but Atalanta disappeared for the final stages of the window.
That meant West Ham’s deal for Zapata fell through, leaving Moyes frustrated.
Zapata has suffered injury problems since then but the Hammers remain interested in signing the Colombian hitman.
Zapata, 31, has only recorded one goal and one assist in 12 Serie A games this season.
It does feel like Zapata is now a fading force at this stage in his career but the Premier League clubs appear to be interested.
Zapata has hit 80 goals in 174 games for Atalanta and has even been likened to former Everton star Romelu Lukaku over in Italy.
Zapata may need a fresh start to try and get his career back on track and West Ham seemingly hope it will be second time lucky in their pursuit.
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