With the backing of a healthy £105m, West Ham’s midfield pursuit has been one of the most hotly-documented storylines of the summer so far.

The Hammers have reportedly had a £40m offer for Conor Gallagher rejected by Chelsea, with Mauricio Pochettino stating that the Englishman is in his plans for the upcoming season.

James Ward-Prowse is another player on David Moyes’ agenda, with West Ham preparing to initiate a formal swoop for the Southampton captain.

Scott McTominay is also viewed as a possible Declan Rice replacement, but Manchester United have slapped a £40m price tag on the Scotsman.

However, one man that West Ham are tracking who seems to be going under the radar is Denis Zakaria.

Is Denis Zakaria joining West Ham?

According to Tuttosport (via Football Italia), Zakaria is one of the players Juventus want to sell this summer and West Ham have been in talks with the Old Lady.

But, it is understood that Monaco may now lead the race for the midfielder, who is valued at around £17m.

West Ham have no intention of entering a bidding war for the Swiss.

What is Denis Zakaria's style of play?

Most Premier League fans will simply remember Zakaria for his disastrous loan spell at Chelsea last year.

He joined the Blues on deadline day last summer, and upon his arrival, Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-controlling owners, said: “Denis brings top-level and international experience, and his mix of tenacity and great distribution.”

However, the move materialised into disappointment, as the 26-year-old became hampered by persistent injury and was caught up in the whirlwind of Chelsea’s worst season in Premier League history.

As a result, he made just 13 appearances in all competitions across the season, and we were unable to witness his full potential.

We shouldn’t judge Zakaria’s most recent past as his definition, as he displayed his glorious athleticism and energy during the 2019/20 season at Borussia Mönchengladbach.

At the start of this campaign, with his side sitting at the summit of the table after nine outings, no other player had covered more distance (99.6km) or won more duels (97), whilst he also accumulated 556 high-intensity runs.

When considering what the 49-cap international can offer, his strength lies in the unknown, whilst McTominay, who would cost double the price has been a consistent let-down for United.

Since making his debut in 2017, the 6 foot 4 man has made 219 appearances for the Red Devils and has never proven himself to be a reliable asset.

Last term, he forged just 16 starts in all competitions, as after the two defeats in the first games against Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag was forced into a desperate last-ditch attempt to bring Casemiro to Old Trafford.

The Brazilian, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, and Christian Eriksen were all ahead of him in the pecking order by playing more games, and there have been many question marks over his quality.

The viewpoint has been championed by Roy Keane, who said that McTominay has a lack of “decision-making and football intelligence.”

Despite not playing anywhere near his capabilities, Zakaria outranked McTominay for pass completion per 90 (88.9% vs 81.4%) and progressive carries per 90 (2.22 vs 1.46). His running and ability to dictate games, therefore, are far superior to that of the United midfielder.

Ultimately, the Red Devils youth product has had plenty of time to stamp his authority upon the Premier League but has been unable to shackle his mediocre reputation. Whereas Zakaria, who was described as “talented” by Antonio Mango, can return to English football with a huge point to prove and could recapture the form he expertly displayed in Germany.