In an interview with TuttoJuve, West Ham striker Simone Zaza’s father, Antonio Zaza, has claimed that the 25-year-old is set for a move to Spain.
Zaza, who became a butt of many jokes following his hilarious penalty miss at the Euros last year, had an unsuccessful spell at the East London club, making just 11 appearances across all competitions and failing to score.
“Right now Simone is in Turin,” Antonio said. “West Ham? It didn’t work out at all. We were wrong from the start, really he should never have gone to England. His future, however, could still be outside of Italy.
“As for Valencia, it’s very likely but we still haven’t had the last word on that. And to tell you the truth it’s not just Valencia who are following him.
“There’s contact with another team in Spain, but it’s premature to say more.”
La Liga side Valencia are reportedly leading the race to sign the Italian striker, and a deal is likely to be concluded soon.
“Our idea is to bring a striker,” Superdeporte quoted Valencia coach Salvador Gonzalez as saying.
“We are interested in Zaza, and he is a real option. Things take time and our club is working on it.
“We are trying to get him to come as soon as possible. It’s a difficult market, but whoever arrives will do so with the idea of improving the team.”
Besides Zaza, summer signings Jonathan Calleri and Sofiane Feghouli are also touted for loan moves this January. Feghouli, in particular, has been marked by AS Roma as a transfer target. The Algerian forward lost his place in his country’s national team squad for the African Cup of Nations following a lack of playing opportunities with the Hammers in the first half of the season.
