By Wayne Veysey

1st Feb, 2022 | 8:56am

Duvan Zapata: West Ham agreed £5.5m fee before deal collapsed - Sources

West Ham failed with a last-gasp loan-to-buy bid for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata, Football Insider understands.

The Colombia international was the subject of a deadline-day battle between the Hammers and Newcastle United but neither club were able to get the deal over the line.

A West Ham source has told Football Insider that they offered the £5.5million loan fee Atalanta wanted and both clubs agreed an option for the transfer to become permanent in the summer.

A deal sheet was submitted to the Premier League but the paperwork could not be completed by the deadline.

It means that David Moyes missed out on all his January striker targets and will now go into the second half of the season with only Michail Antonio as an orthodox front man.

The manager can call upon other options, including playing the versatile Jarrod Bowen down the middle, but there is great frustration among the club’s fan base at the failure to recruit a forward.

Newcastle also made a concerted January move for Zapata and had a £22m loan-to-buy offer submitted earlier in the window.

Zapata is part of the Atalanta side that has won hearts and minds in recent years by defying expectations in Italy and in Europe.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have finished 3rd in each of the last three Serie A seasons, with Zapata netting 66 times across those campaigns.

The 34-cap Colombia international, who is contracted in Bergamo until 2023, has also been on target 12 times in 22 outings in all competitions this season.

That includes a haul of nine goals and five assists from 16 Serie A matches.

In other news, West Ham move for Liverpool star revealed and pursuit is still alive.