West Ham United transfer update emerges on Kurt Zouma – Fabrizio Romano
West Ham United are yet to be approached by teams in the Saudi Pro League over the potential transfer of Kurt Zouma, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer specialist reported via his Daily Briefing column (21 October) that a potential transfer for the Frenchman was not “imminent” and while Saudi clubs are often enquiring about opportunities, the Hammers haven’t received a concrete proposal.
Reports had emerged that the West Ham captain had been targeted by clubs in the Middle East [90Min, 12 October] and Romano did share that should he depart the London Stadium, Harry Maguire could once again be a person of interest to David Moyes.
Any decision on the Manchester United defender’s future will be made “around December” but the Irons have always rated the England international. However, any possible deal would depend on the financial conditions, given the Hammers have already invested in their defence with the purchase of Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Nothing concrete
It seems as though nothing is likely to happen in terms of Zouma’s future at least in the coming weeks as so far, initial interest doesn’t appear to have transformed into a genuine bid or even talks between clubs in the Saudi Pro League and West Ham.
A move to one of the world’s richest leagues will obviously be attractive for the Frenchman, as it has been for several players in the last year or so, but he will only be able to make the move if West Ham are willing to let him leave initially.
Zouma has been integral to Moyes’ side’s excellent start to the season and would be a huge loss if he were to depart, but in his limited appearances in claret and blue so far, Mavropanos has looked a more than able deputy and would be able to fill the void left by the former Chelsea defender.
Judging by Romano’s report, it feels as though nothing is set in stone as of yet, whether that be in terms of Maguire potentially making the move to West Ham or Zouma departing. It feels as though this could be a story that rumbles on right up until the January transfer window.
Over the summer, the Hammers showed that they can lose a star player and remain a competitive outfit, so there is no reason they can’t do the same should Zouma opt to move on, whether in January or the summer.
In other West Ham news, Michail Antonio has refused to be drawn into a prediction for the Hammers’ clash with Aston Villa