Julen Lopetegui shares Kurt Zouma transfer update after West Ham United exit saga
Julen Lopetegui has admitted that West Ham defender Kurt Zouma is in talks to leave the club before the transfer window closes on 30 August.
The Hammers are now in transfer talks with other Middle Eastern clubs over a deal for the Frenchman, according to The Boot Room [13 August], after a failed medical with Shabab Al-Ahli.
Lopetegui has now confirmed the reports linking the 29-year-old with an exit from the London Stadium this summer, speaking in his press conference ahead of West Ham against Aston Villa.
Quoted by The Athletic journalist Kathyrn Batte on Thursday (15 August), Lopetegui said: “Kurt is a fantastic person and a very good player. He’s trying to choose his future and we are going to wait.
“It’s true that he’s trying to talk with other teams right now. Let’s see what happens.”
West Ham United to find deal for Kurt Zouma?
Fans at the London Stadium will be breathing a collective sigh of relief to hear Lopetegui’s admission after Zouma’s failed medical at Shabab Al-Ahli this week.
While the centre-back has dedicated three years of his life to the Hammers since arriving from Chelsea in 2021, he was nowhere near the right level to compete last season, let alone wear the captain’s armband.
He is a hugely experienced defender, but after last season in the Premier League, it was clear something needed to change, especially considering that only Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United shipped more goals.
With Lopetegui adding Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo to the defensive ranks this summer, the Hammers’ transfer plans looked obvious from the very start, and now it has been confirmed by the manager.
However, with only 15 days of the transfer window remaining, and his failed medical to take into account, the club will need to quicken the search if they are to offload the centre-back this summer.
In other West Ham news, Manchester City are set to sign Divin Mubama after his decision at the London Stadium.
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