Advertisement
Steve Paston
On the Move

West Ham striker pens deal with Serie A title contenders

Mauro Zarate has agreed terms with Fiorentina.

ARGENTINE FORWARD MAURO Zarate has joined Serie A club Fiorentina from West Ham, the Premier League side have announced.

Zarate signed for the Hammers from Velez Sarsfield in 2014, but struggled to hold down a regular first-team place following the arrival of new boss Slaven Bilic last year.

The 28-year-old, who had a disappointing loan spell at QPR last season, scored just five goals in 21 appearances in all competitions for West Ham this term.

Zarate is reported to have agreed a two and a half year contract with Fiorentina, who are believed to have paid €2.1m for the former Lazio star.

The club thanked the former Argentina under-20 international for his efforts while at Upton Park.

Zarate enjoyed one of the more productive periods of his career in his previous spell in Italy, winning the Coppa Italia with Lazio in 2008-09, and Fiorentina, currently six points behind leaders Napoli, hope he will boost their challenge for the Serie A title.

- © AFP, 2016

Facebook to flex muscle in sports coverage market

We’ll Leave It There So: Irish invasion, Flynn defends GPA role and all today’s sport