English Premier League (EPL) club West Ham United is intensifying its efforts to acquire Japanese national team goalkeeper Suzuki Zion (22, Parma).
The British media outlet 'Caught Offside' reported on the 9th (Korea time), citing 'West Ham Way,' that 'West Ham has made significant progress in negotiations for Suzuki's acquisition.'
Suzuki was born to a Ghanaian-American father and a Japanese mother. His birthplace is the United States, but he grew up in the youth team of Urawa Reds in Japan. After spending time on loan at Sint-Truidense in Belgium in 2023, he has been guarding the goal for Parma, part of Serie A in Italy, since 2024.
When moving to Parma, Suzuki recorded a transfer fee of approximately €7.5 million (12.1 billion won). This is the highest transfer fee in history for an Asian goalkeeper.
During the 2024-2025 season, Suzuki played in 37 matches for Parma. He recorded 53 goals conceded but showed stability by keeping clean sheets in 8 matches. He also participated in 18 matches for the Japanese national team.
Suzuki gained recognition among domestic fans by serving as the starting goalkeeper for the Japanese national team in the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup. However, his performance at the time was shaky. He faced criticism and was dubbed 'the worst goalkeeper' due to errors.
West Ham could not avoid a decline in performance due to the shaky performance of goalkeeper Alphonse Areola last season. They dropped from 9th in the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season to 14th in the 2024-2025 season.
West Ham is reported to plan to develop Suzuki as a long-term starting resource. His market value has skyrocketed to approximately €20 million (32.2 billion won).
If Suzuki transfers to the Premier League, he is expected to break the Asian goalkeeper transfer fee record once again.
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