Nayef Aguerd wants West Ham United exit as Kurt Zouma made available for transfer
Nayef Aguerd wants to leave West Ham this summer while Kurt Zouma has also been made available for an exit, according to The Times.
The paper reported via their website on 28 May that the pair of senior defenders’ departures from the London Stadium are possibilities during the transfer window, while fellow veteran centre-back Angelo Ogbonna is also leaving.
The 36-year-old Italian’s contract is expiring at the end of June and he recently revealed the Irons had not yet offered him a new one [Standard, 17 May].
Zouma, 29, replaced the departed Declan Rice as club captain under David Moyes last season but is reportedly free to leave due to being unable to cope with the demands of more than one game a week.
Aguerd was linked to a Saudi exit last summer yet was happy to stay at the time, but now apparently favours a move away from the London Stadium.
West Ham defence to look very different under Julen Lopetegui
Moyes’ replacement by Julen Lopetegui as manager was always going to bring changes, particularly to a Hammers squad that looked in need of an overhaul already.
Defensively the solidity that had been a key feature of the outgoing boss’ best sides went missing last term as only the three relegated sides conceded more times in the Premier League.
Zouma and Aguerd both proved to be strong signings early in their West Ham careers, after arriving from Chelsea and Rennes respectively in back-to-back years, and the pair are believed to have interest from the Saudi Pro League.
But the former’s body isn’t supporting him the same way any longer and the latter lost his position to Konstantinos Mavropanos as the past season went on.
Bruno Patricio is already on the way in as an early reinforcement for the position group while more arrivals are planned before Lopetegui’s official start date of 1 July.
Ogbonna has been a fixture at the club for close to a decade but hasn’t been a regular starter for the past three seasons, so extensive movement at the centre of the defence was probably inevitable this summer.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are seriously hoping to buy a club’s best player for the new manager.
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