Saint-Etienne looking to bring in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Karim-Ziani-c20381 as a replacement for Dimitri Payet – Ligue 1 news
Ligue 1 side AS Saint-Etienne are looking to bring in Algerian international Karim Ziani to the club as the club seeks to replace http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Dimitri-Payet-c11276.
Payet has recently joined LOSC Lille on a four-year deal and Les Verts are in the market for a suitable replacement for the France international. Karim Ziani is currently playing for German Bundesliga side http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/VfL-Wolfsburg-c40881 and the Algerian might not be retained by the club this summer.
Les Verts have already signed former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 man Florent Sinama-Pongolle on loan with an option to buy from Portuguese side Benfica and are now looking to add one more winger to the side.
According to reports in French media, Saint-Etienne are now considering making an offer for Ziani who is out of favour at the German club.
The 28-year-old Algerian is also keen on moving away from the Volkswagen Arena where he has made just 15 Bundesliga appearances since joining the club from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Olympique-de-Marseille-c40127 in 2009.
The former Marseille man is also keen on moving to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard according to reports in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899. However, Saint-Etienne must resolve Ziani’s dispute with Turkish side Kayserispor where the Algerian spent six months of the 2010/2011 season on loan.
Ziani was committed to signing for the Turkish club after his loan deal expired but the Algerian no more wants to join the club on a permanent basis. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Kayserispor-c39685 have already filed a complaint to FIFA over the issue and according to Algerian sports daily The Scorer, Ziani’s transfer will not be possible as long as the issue with the Turkish Super Lig is not resolved.
Ziani initially started his professional career with French side Troyes but after initially joining http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Lorient-c39153 on loan in 2004, Ziani signed with the club on a permanent deal in 2005. However, his performances earned him a move to Sochaux where he made 36 appearances and scored eight goals.
His first season with the Lionceaux prompted Marseille to buy the midfielder for a fee believed to be in the region of 11 million Dollars. However, since joining the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wolves-c40952 in the summer of 2009, the Algerian has failed to recapture the form that made him such a promising talent in his early days in Ligue 1.
A move to Saint-Etienne could prove to be a good one as the 28-year-old aims to resurrect his career that has stood still during his time in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904.
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