Despite having already secured the signing of winger Antonio Nusa, Tottenham Hotspur’s ambitious transfers do not seem to stop there. It has come to light that they are now looking to muscle in on West Ham’s striker target, Joshua Zirkzee. The Hammers initially displayed interest in the talented Dutch forward, with reports suggesting that Zirkzee was among their list of targets for the upcoming January transfer window. However, Tottenham now appears to have entered the race for the 22-year-old, indicating a potential shift in the player’s destination.
In January of last year and again this past summer, West Ham was linked with a move for the highly-rated Zirkzee, who ended up moving from Bayern Munich to Serie A club Bologna as a replacement for Marko Arnautovic. It is understood that top transfer specialist Simon Jones recently disclosed Zirkzee’s presence on West Ham’s transfer shortlist. However, reports now claim that Tottenham has emerged as a serious contender to sign the Dutch international, complicating matters for the Hammers.
While various media outlets have provided conflicting information regarding Zirkzee’s release clause, with some stating it to be as low as £34.4m while others assert a considerably higher figure, the true details remain unclear. Moreover, there are also conflicting reports about when a potential deal could be finalized, with some suggesting it might have to wait until the summer transfer window.
This comes as an extra blow to West Ham manager David Moyes, who has been actively searching for a new striker, having previously been linked with other attacking options such as Victor Boniface and Armando Broja. Zirkzee has exhibited the qualities that could seamlessly fit into Moyes’ system, displaying strong performances thus far in Serie A, with eight goals and two assists in 19 appearances.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Zirkzee’s future, one thing is clear: Tottenham’s interest in the 6’4” former Bayern Munich forward is causing a stir in the transfer market, throwing a potential wrench into West Ham’s plans for a January signing.
