West Ham United want Atalanta attacker Nicola Zalewski | OneFootball

West Ham United want to sign Atalanta attacker Nicola Zalewski before the transfer deadline next Monday, according to Sky Sports Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo wants to further strengthen his attack at the London Stadium club, and the Hammers have Zalewski on their radar.

They have lost Brazilian midfielder Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo and have identified the Atalanta ace as a potential replacement.

Like Paqueta, Zalewski can play as a central midfielder and also on the left wing, and his defensive abilities have seen him feature as a left-back and left wing-back too.

The West Ham target is an excellent dribbler and passer of through balls, and his technical abilities make him a threat in direct freekick situations.

The Hammers want creativity through the middle and on the wings, and they could get their answer in Zalewski.

However, they will need to offer a very tempting bid to lure the Poland international away from Atalanta right now.

The 24-year-old trickster has one goal and five assists in 22 appearances so far this term.

West Ham could do with such a versatile and talented player after losing Paqueta, but getting him before the deadline could prove very tricky.

The AS Roma academy graduate joined Atalanta last summer after a loan spell with Inter Milan in 2024-25, and swapping a club challenging for Europe for relegation-fighting West Ham is unlikely to appeal to him.

Atalanta are also not going to be open to losing such a key player midway through the season, and the Hammers may need to look elsewhere if they want a quality replacement for Paqueta before the transfer deadline.

They have added Keiber Lamadrid, Adama Traore, Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos to their ranks so far but could do with one or two more quality players to boost their survival chances.