Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has suggested to the Italian media that he doesn’t want Nottingham Forest-linked star Duvan Zapata to leave the club. West Ham and Everton have also been linked with a move for the Serie A striker this month.
All three clubs have work to do in their quest to avoid relegation. Everton are in dire straits, with Frank Lampard’s job likely hanging by a thread after their defeat to West Ham yesterday.
Forest were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. Sam Surridge equalised late on after Jaiden Anthony had scored in the first half for the Cherries.
All three clubs would dearly love to add some more firepower to their ranks before the January transfer window closes. Forest have already signed Chris Wood but perhaps a forward like Zapata would be ideal too.
The striker is a bit of a powerhouse of a talisman and his goalscoring record in Italy has been largely impressive. A Colombian international, he’s found the net 107 times across spells with Atalanta, Udinese, Napoli and Sampdoria.
It would seem that Gasperini isn’t willing to lose his star man, however. He’s told Tuttmomercatoweb: “This rumour bothers me a lot. The rumour is a bad thing.”
Gasperini doesn’t want Forest-linked Zapata to leave
The 31-year-old would be a useful addition to any Premier League outfit struggling for goals. He knows where the back of the net is and would surely relish the chance to sign for an English team.
Zapata has scored just once this season so that would represent a risk. He is the type of striker that brings others into play, however, and he does much more than just score goals.
Signing now looks tricky though, with the player’s boss not keen to let him leave. He was asked the question by the media on the back of Everton offering Atalanta a loan to buy option which was rejected.
It will still be intriguing to see how this one plays out. If Atalanta do get an offer for the £57,000-a-week player, it does seem feasible that it could still be accepted by the Serie A club.