West Ham are edging closer to a £25million deal to sign Simone Zaza although the Juventus striker could initially arrive on loan.
Manager Slaven Bilic is desperate to bring in a front man following the long-term injury to £20million new signing Andre Ayew and has been tracking Zaza for some time.
Manchester City’s Wilfried Bony and Chelsea striker Loic Remy have also been mentioned as possible signings.
However, Bilic’s No1 choice is Zaza, who is keen to come to London and negotiations with West Ham are already advanced.
It is understood that the Italy international will join initially on loan but the move will become permanent after he plays a specified number of matches, with a five-year deal rising to £25m and the player earning around £3m a year.
Zaza has already scored at the London Stadium when he came on as a second-half substitute in the pre-season friendly against the Hammers. The 25-year-old recently rejected an opportunity to move to German Bundesliga club.
Napoli have also expressed an interest in Zaza but Juventus are reluctant to sell the player to their Serie A rivals.
“We were linked with him last year also,” said Bilic. “He’s a top player and I like him. We were in contact with him last year, it didn’t happen but we will see this year.
“We will do something if we can in the next few days but only if it makes our squad stronger.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa have failed with a move for striker Enner Valencia.
The Hammers are searching for a striker themselves and will not let Sakho, who they value at £12million, leave until they have found a replacement.
