By support

22nd Jul, 2016 | 10:44am

West Ham could return for £27m forward if they fail to land Bacca

By Dominic Toner

West Ham may rejoin the race to sign Italian striker Simone Zaza if they fail to capture Carlos Bacca, according to a report.

The Londoners have offered Bacca a contract worth £70,000-a-week to try make him their marquee signing this summer.

However the forward is believed to be holding out for a return to Spain, with former club Sevilla and Spanish big-hitters Atletico Madrid both showing an interest.

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio claims that if West Ham are unsuccessful in their pursuit of Bacca they could turn their attention back on forward Zaza.

Juventus recently rejected a £27million bid for Zaza from West Ham and are believed to have received an improved £30million offer from a Bundesliga side.

The forward infamously missed his penalty against Germany in the Euro 2016 quarter-final. After an unorthodox run up, he blazed the ball over Manuel Neuer’s goal.

Zaza helped Juventus complete a domestic double last season with the Serie A title and the Italian Cup, although forwards Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata kept his game time limited.

The striker scored eight goals in 24 appearances in all competitions during the 2015-16 campaign.

Before Juventus he played for a range of different Italian clubs including Sassuolo, Sampdoria and Atlanta, however is yet to play outside of Italy.

West Ham are keen to land a new striker before the window is shut and their patience may be growing thin with their attempts to land Bacca.

Slaven Bilic helped his side gain European qualification for this season and believes he needs a new attacking option, with £15million-rated Diafra Sakho a target for a number of Premier League clubs.

In other West Ham transfer news, South American forward Jonathan Calleri has agreed a move to the club but the deal faces a stumbling block.