West Ham are in talks with Simone Zaza’s advisers in an attempt to remove a clause which could cost the club £20m, The Sun say.
The Hammers reportedly face paying that amount to sign him on a permanent deal from Juventus if he makes 14 first-team appearances.
Zaza, 25, has failed to impress since arriving on loan from the Turin club and West Ham are believed to be looking to find a way out of the current agreement.
He has made eight appearances so far and is expected to take another step towards the 14-match mark when Slaven Bilic’s side face Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-final this week.
There has been speculation that Zaza could be sold to an Italian club in January, with the likes of Napoli having been linked with him.
The Sun quote ‘a Hammers source’ as saying: “We are currently in conversations aimed at changing the appearance clause or having it dropped altogether.
“We need the terms changing if the player is to remain with us.
“Cup matches didn’t count at the early stage of the competition. But this is a quarter final and this is included in the deal.”
The Sun believe Zaza himself wants the clause dropped in order to ease the pressure on him.