The Hammers will attempt a January exchange deal with Napoli
According to Italian TV station Rai Sport, as reported by Football Italia, West Ham will offer Simone Zaza to Napoli in exchange for their striker Manolo Gabbiadini in the next transfer window.
The report claims that the Hammers attempted to bring a striker to the club over the summer, but after finding no luck with a £22.5 million bid for Gabbiadini, they opted for Zaza.
But with Zaza struggling to acclimatise to the rigours for Premier League, it seems that Slaven Bilic may be prepared to cut his losses with the former Juventus man.
With Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri a fan of the 25-year-old it may grease the wheels of any potential deal that sets place in the new year, according to the report cited by Football Italia.
Gabbiadini burst onto the scene with Sampdoria, where 19 goals in 50 appearances earned him a January 2015 move to Napoli, where he played second fiddle to Gonzalo Higuain.
Despite 20 goals in 60 games for Napoli before the start of this season, Gabbiadini but did not find first team chances easy to come by after Higuain departed for Juventus, as Arkadiusz Milik joined from Ajax.
And although Zaza is technically on loan, so essentially still on Juventus’ books, West Ham’s option to buy becomes obligatory after a certain number of appearances have been reached.
It’s possible that in January the two clubs could exchange forwards if both moves suits all parties.
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