Simone Zaza was heavily linked with a move to Premier League last month, with both West Ham and Palace reportedly keen on bringing him in on loan until the end of the season. The Hammers instead bought in Emenike on loan.

His agent has broken silence now confirmed that interest, but he insists the 24-year-old never wanted to leave Juventus. “There were expressions of interest from Premier League clubs in January,” agent Christian Maifredi told inBlu Radio. “They’ll benefit from greater financial resources next season from television rights. There was interest, but nothing more. There was never a real possibility of Zaza moving away from Juventus, that wasn’t what he wanted or what the club wanted. Today no-one thinks of leaving this great team.”