West Ham To Swoop For Lanzafame

West Ham To Swoop For Lanzafame

West Ham United are likely to land Juventus forward Davide Lanzafame on loan in time for the new campaign. Could this also signal a definitive end to the Amauri situation?

The Hammers are set to agree a season-long loan with the Old Lady for the former Italian U-21 international as they look to strengthen their forward line for 2008-09.

Lanzafame, 21, is a former Juventus youth who made his first team breakfthrough last season. After some fleeting appearances in Turin, he was loaned to Serie B outfit Bari, where he has impressed under former Juve hero Antonio Conte.

Conte spoke to the Gazzetta dello Sport of the youngster's talent: "Lanzafame is improving tactically. He is an explosive player with an eye for goal, and with plenty of speed in the build-up. If he improves further and learns more he could be like Cristiano Ronaldo."

The Amauri Connection

For Juventus fans, this may be of particular interest due to the player's connection to the Amauri transfer.

Palermo hitman Amauri was supposed to be heading north to Turin this summer in a part-exchange deal, with Lanzafame said to be one of the makeweights to be given to the Sicilian side in exchange for the fiery Brazilian.

Should he head for London instead, though, that obviously means that he is unavailable for such a transfer, and this could be another nail in the coffin of the long-running Amauri transfer saga.

Steve Michaels, Goal.com