West Ham are ready to cool their interest in a proposed transfer for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, according to reports.
The Polish star has caught the attention of the Hammers with the club keen on signing him but they are is now set to step up interest in alternatives.
The Italian side supposedly want too much money for him, £33million, and there are doubts the player wants to leave a team with Champions League football.
West Ham will not pursue a deal for Piotr Zielinski and will now go for alternative options.
A deal to bring Zielinski to East London was always an ambitious one. He is a regular starter for Napoli and his technical skill such as his passing and dribbling makes him worth so much.
West Ham were hopeful that a transfer to the Premier League would take his fancy and at 28-year-old it is likely to be his last chance for a big move.
Zielinski was going to be offered a large wage by David Moyes’ side but the club no longer believe he represents good value with the Serie A side refusing to budge from the price tag they have on him.
He is capable of playing as a No.10 or slightly deeper as a No.8 and one other option that has been mentioned is Amadou Onana of Lille.
West Ham have been pursuing him all summer but the 20-year-old, similarly to Zielinski, is worth valued between £30-£40million with the French side also yet to show signs they will accept a price the Hammers deem as more reasonable.
Onana is more of a defensive midfielder and isn’t a like for like replacement for Zielinski so it’s worth keeping an eye on who Moyes targets next.
After securing the signing of striker Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo, the club’s next priority is to bring in Filip Kostic from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Concrete negotiations are set to take place very soon and West Ham are hopeful a deal can be done.
Nayef Aguerd was another addition made to the squad this summer but he has undergone ankle surgery after sustaining an injury in a pre-season friendly as there are fears he could be out for a few months.
Therefore a centre-back is also on the updated West Ham shortlist with Abdou Diallo of PSG someone the club is keen on, he was linked with a move to the Irons back in January, as reported on our site.