West Ham United could release Kurt Zouma with pay off after transfer exit collapse
West Ham could now look to negotiate with Kurt Zouma to pay off the final year of his contract, according to The Times.
The paper reported via their website on 12 August after the defender’s move to Shabab Al-Ahli collapsed over medical issues that the Irons may now look to work out a way to release him instead.
Last season’s Hammers captain was set to move to the UAE side on a free transfer but has a history of knee issues which appear to have halted that for now.
Jean-Clair Todibo has already been brought in from Nice to replace him after Wolves captain Max Kilman was reunited with new boss Julen Lopetegui.
West Ham set to start Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo
The Hammers defence is going to look very different under Lopetegui than it did before David Moyes’ exit, with Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos splitting starts in the middle last term.
The Frenchman looks set to exit one way or another and the Moroccan has been linked with a transfer as well [Sky Sports News, 5 July], amid talks with the likes of Atletico Madrid [Foot Mercato, 21 July].
HITC reported on 10 August that Mavropanos could follow them both out as well just a year after arriving, and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka set to seal his move from Manchester United imminently [Florian Plettenberg, 12 August] to potentially take over from Vladimir Coufal on the right there is plenty of change on the cards.
Shabab Al-Ahli were set to take on Zouma’s contract for the coming year instead of pay a fee for him [The Athletic, 8 August] and that would still be the preferred option.
It would likely only make sense to pay him a settlement to leave if it was significantly less than the cost of keeping him at the London Stadium this season.
And he surely won’t want to lose out financially just to get out of the way, but a solution will be needed in the next couple of weeks if he isn’t to be stuck in the squad without much football on the cards.
In other West Ham news, a FIFA agent says there is “definitely a chance” that an Italy star could be on the move as he reacted to Irons transfer links.
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