Kurt Zouma exit update at West Ham United after Julen Lopetegui appointment
West Ham United could now look to sell Kurt Zouma this summer after the appointment of Julen Lopetegui as head coach, according to Darren Witcoop.
The journalist reported for the Sunday People (9 June, page 56) that the Hammers captain’s future is up in the air under the Spaniard.
Zouma is said to be “sweating over his future” as he could be sold this summer with West Ham looking to sign replacement options already.
The Frenchman has just one year remaining on his bumper contract and the club could now look to cash in before his deal runs out.
West Ham could sell Kurt Zouma
With the Hammers already confirmed to have lost Angelo Ogbonna and also likely to lose Nayef Aguerd with plenty of interest ahead of the summer.
Given that a new manager is coming in, it may be unwise for Lopetegui to look to move on one of his key players before the season starts.
Zouma has been a key player since signing from Chelsea which even saw him named as club captain under David Moyes.
It is clear that the new Hammers coach doesn’t care so much about this with him looking to move on the Frenchman this summer.
If Lopetegui is to move him on then he and Tim Steidten may have to look to sign three or more centre-backs just to cover what they’ve lost.
With Ogbonna already gone and Aguerd looking likely to leave, getting rid of Zouma doesn’t seem to make much sense.
The better move would be to look to tie him down to a new deal and keep him as Hammers captain rather than moving him on.
In other West Ham news, Dharmesh Sheth has issued an update on a Hammers player who’s now being pursued by a rival Premier League club.
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