Fiorentina buy Argentine striker Zarate from West Ham

LONDON (Reuters) – Fiorentina have completed the permanent signing of forward Mauro Zarate from West Ham United, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

The deal brings to an end a difficult two-year spell in London for the 28-year-old Argentine who has struggled at Upton Park since joining from Velez Sarsfield in 2014.

Zarate has scored five goals in 21 appearances in all competitions this season, having returned from an unsuccessful loan spell at Queens Park Rangers where he spent the second half of the previous campaign.

“West Ham would like to thank Mauro for his efforts in Claret and Blue and wish him all the best in his future career,” the London club said on their Twitter feed.

British media reported Zarate, who had previous spells in Italy with Lazio and Inter Milan, had agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with Fiorentina, with the fee set to be around 1.6 million pounds ($2.27 million).

Fiorentina are fourth in Serie A, six points behind leaders Napoli, and host Torino on Sunday.

(Reporting by Toby Davis; Editing by Tony Jimenez)