For all the talk of West Ham United needing to replace Declan Rice, it may well be that David Moyes is in the market for a second central midfielder this summer.
The Hammers' Europa Conference League success papered over what was a disappointing Premier League campaign that ended with the club finishing six points above the relegation zone, and a facelift of sorts may be required.
What is the latest West Ham United transfer news?
Moyes' side have been linked with an array of players across multiple positions, but it is no surprise that midfield targets are right at the centre of the gossip.
From James Ward-Prowse and Harvey Barnes to Amadou Onana and Kalvin Phillips, there are countless options for West Ham to choose from when it comes to filling the void left by Rice.
But according to Sky Sports Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, United are further down the line in signing another player. It is claimed that negotiations are already in play with Juventus over a move for Denis Zakaria, who will be eager to prove himself in the Premier League after a forgetful spell at Chelsea last season.
Juve are said to be hoping to sell Zakaria this summer, rather than exploring another loan offer with the chance to purchase, with the former Borussia Monchengladbach ace on wages of around £90k a week, according to Capology.
Is Denis Zakaria a good option for West Ham United?
On the basis of last season, West Ham supporters can be forgiven for questioning exactly why their side are interested in bringing in a player who started only five league games for their London rivals.
Quite simply, it did not work out for the Switzerland international at Stamford Bridge. But that is not to say he cannot have a major impact down the road at the London Stadium.
Indeed, if the rumours are to be believed, Zakaria's arrival could spell bad news for Tomas Soucek. Despite his limited playing time over the past 12 months, Zakaria still ranks in the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion (88.9%), as per FBref.
That compares to a pass-completion percentage of 71.3% for Soucek, which ranks him in the bottom 7% among his positional peers across Europe's elite leagues.
That ability to keep things ticking along in midfield would come in handy for Moyes, but Zakaria is also strong in other areas. Using data from the 2021-22 campaign while with Serie A giants Juventus, the 26-year-old showed he is comfortable getting the ball past an opponent as he averaged 2.13 take-ons per 90 minutes, compared to 0.54 for Soucek last season.
Zakaria also outperformed Soucek across those respective seasons in terms of carries (32.4 v 17.4) and goal involvement (0.23 goals and assists per 90 v 0.16), though the latter did come out on top for more defensive metrics such as tackles won (1.18 v 0.95) and interceptions (1.69 v 1.36).
As put by former Chelsea player and now BT Sport pundit Joe Cole after Zakaria belatedly made his Blues debut in November's Champions League tie with Dinamo Zagreb, the midfielder looked "excellent" and particularly impressed with his ability to get around the pitch.
Moyes may well have accepted that he will not find a true like-for-like replacement for Rice, with a couple of new players potentially needed to share the workload.
In Zakaria, he can land a player who thrives in many similar areas to outgoing Rice and will prove an upgrade on Soucek in what could yet prove to be an exciting midfield overhaul.
