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West Ham have scheduled talks with Kurt Zouma for a new contract after interest emerged from Saudi Arabia about a transfer, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Writing on his Daily Substack update (14 October), the reliable journalist claims that the Hammers are set to hold discussions with his representatives in the coming weeks and months.
Zouma’s current deal expires in 2025 and Saudi Arabia are said to be plotting a move for him in January, but Romano says there are no talks with other clubs right now and West Ham want to tie him down to a longer deal.
“West Ham have contract talks scheduled with Kurt Zouma, so discussions will take place in the next weeks or months and we will see how it goes,” he wrote.
“He is the club captain and an important player for the Hammers, and guys at the moment honestly, there are no concrete negotiations with other clubs.”
Excellent
Losing Zouma would be a huge blow at any point, but losing him mid-season would absolutely be a killer blow to West Ham and David Moyes’ plans.
He was recently appointed as captain of the club after Declan Rice left for Arsenal and he has taken that responsibility on his shoulders like a duck to water.
A move to Saudi could well appeal to Zouma as he is a Muslim, but also the sheer financial power that the league has and the fact that he is now 28 and this is likely to be the last big contract of his career.
But playing in the Premier League and at the highest level is surely his priority and after we stood by him with his off-field issues, he will hopefully feel a sense of loyalty towards us to stick around.
A new deal would kill all rumours or at least put us in a much stronger position when it comes to negotiating if Saudi Arabia do come calling, so this is one to watch between now and the window opening.
In other West Ham news, triple January signing eyed for Hammers as plans revealed.