Like Vieri, but better. West Ham close in on striker deal

West Ham are looking to wrap up a deal for Juventus striker Simone Zaza this week, according to various reports.

The Hammers are desperate for a striker and it now looks as if the club have turned their attention to one of the hottest attacking prospects in Italian football.

The 23-year-old forward only joined the Old Lady in July after an impressive season with Sassuolo, scoring 11 goals and recording two assists.

West Ham are understood to have agreed a loan deal with a view to a permanent switch at the end of the season for a fee of around £11.5 million.

Zaza is understood to be keen on playing regular first team football as he looks to secure a place in the Italy squad ahead of Euro 2016. At Juventus, the likes of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic , Alvaro Morata and Fernando Llorente are all ahead of Zaza in the fight for a first team spot.

Although the Italian is not a guaranteed starter at Juventus, there is plenty of promise surrounding the left-footed attacker. Gigi Delneri, the former Atalanta manager, hailed Zaza’s ability:

“A pure centre-forward, like Christian Vieri

“He makes the same movements and is left-footed, but Simone is better technically than Vieri.”

If these bold claims are even vaguely accurate, West Ham could be closing in on a really talented individual that would certainly add some extra quality to the Hammers’ forward line.

As well as Zaza, the Irons have been linked with Chelsea winger Victor Moses in recent days. Some are reporting that a potential £6 million deal could be agreed. The more likely offer appears to be a loan with a view to buy at the end of the season.

If West Ham can pull off both of these deals, fans will be a lot happier due to the fact that the players coming in are good quality additions.

Here’s one of Zaza’s goals from last season…not bad: