West Ham have applied for a work permit for Columbian forward Duvan Zapata, according to reports.
The 22-year-old is hoping to secure a dream move to England after West Ham agreed a fee - thought to be worth anywhere between £2.5m and £7m, depending on which particular source you read - with Zapata's current club Estudiantes of Argentina.However his move to the UK is by no means certain to happen, with doubts over his ability to meet the criteria for a work permit. The major stumbling block would appear to be that Zapata is yet to make a single full international appearance for Columbia.
According to journalist Ed Malyon, who writes about South American football, Zapata is "quick, strong and energetic but not a great finisher. He's never really scored buckets of goals in the Argentinian league - West Ham are paying £££ for potential."
Whilst KUMB member westhamamerica, another keen follower of the Argentinian league added: "He uses his size a lot and is really quick. Still a pretty raw talent, though.
"He could be better in the air and his passing game is okay at best, so he'd be one for the future rather than going right into the 18 from what I've seen. A lot of Argentinian clubs play very direct so I don't think he would be out of his element coming here."
However many in South America feel that Zapata has the ability to become the next Columbian to make the breakthrough in Europe, following the likes of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez (both now at Monaco).
A number of top European clubs - including Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, and Benfica - have all previously shown an interest in the Colombian, who scored 11 goals in 27 matches last season.
The obligatory YT vid: Zapata in action
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