Mauro Zarate was on Thursday on the brink of leaving West Ham to join Fiorentina in a £1.5million deal.
Sources in Italy believe the Argentine forward, 28, was close to signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Serie A club after rejecting the chance to move to Real Betis in Spain.
Standard Sport understands Zarate is willing to take a pay cut to link up with Paulo Sousa’s team, who have an outside chance of winning the domestic title this season.
Zarate has made 15 starts in the Premier League this season, scoring three times, including in the victory at Arsenal on the opening day of the season, and the 2-1 win over Chelsea in October.
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The 28-year-old knows Italian football well after spells with Inter Milan and Lazio. He had a stint with Birmingham in 2008 and joined West Ham in the summer of 2014, also spending two months on loan at Queens Park Rangers last season.
Zarate is expected to take the place of Giuseppe Rossi in Fiorentina’s squad. The former Manchester United forward’s career has been blighted by injury and it is believed he is close to joining Spanish club Levante on loan for the rest of the campaign.
