have entered the race to sign Denis Zakaria following his departure from , according to reports.
The interest in the defensive midfielder comes as the Irons prepare to lose their captain who is heavily linked with Arsenal and .
having seen their £75million plus £15m in add-ons bid rejected and remain confident a deal can be done.
But now they face strong competition from , with West Ham holding out for at least £100m.
Manchester United also remain interested but Chelsea are not with their focus on Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
Regardless of where the England star ends up, his departure from the London Stadium is inevitable and as such West Ham must find a suitable replacement and soon.
And it seems they have identified one potential candidate, with reporting that West Ham are among many clubs interested in Zakaria’s services with Chelsea opting not to trigger the buyout clause in his contract.
The 26-year-old moved to Stamford Bridge on loan on deadline day last summer and looked more than capable in the few chances he was given – only 11 appearances in all competitions, completing 90 minutes just once.
Nevertheless, the Swiss international has a good reputation from his time at Borussia Monchengladbach and has been made available for a transfer as he is not in his parent club Juventus’ plans.
It is not known how much Zakaria could cost West Ham with his contract with the Serie A giants running until 2026, nor who else is interested but it is said that the Irons have contacted Juventus to discuss terms.
Zakaria is not the only midfielder expected to leave Chelsea this summer, with City set to sign Mateo Kovacic, Arsenal expected to buy Kai Havertz, while United are getting closer to agreeing a deal for Mason Mount.
N’Golo Kante has already departed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to leave also.
This could leave Chelsea with perilously few midfield options but following an awful 2022/23 campaign.
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