Fabrizio Romano shares Nayef Aguerd update amid Roma, AC Milan and Saudi interest in West Ham United ace
Fabrizio Romano has shared a further update on the future of West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd amid interest from AC Milan, Roma and clubs in Saudi Arabia.
The transfer expert reported via his Daily Briefing blog on Thursday (4 January) that a London Stadium exit for the Morocco international this month is “not straightforward”.
Aguerd was previously linked with a move away from West Ham towards the end of the summer transfer window, but United are said to have rejected approaches from abroad.
In his latest update on Aguerd, Romano wrote: “Saudi interest in West Ham star remains, but it’s not straightforward.
“There was already interest at the end of the summer, the beginning of September, but West Ham said no.
“There is interest from Saudi again, but for West Ham the only way for this to happen is if it’s a permanent transfer, and if they can find a replacement.
“For example, Milan and Roma have also been interested in Aguerd and showed an interest in recent weeks over a loan deal, but West Ham said no, it’s only a permanent transfer or nothing.
“Aguerd is very happy in the Premier League, it’s not about money, but he’s very happy playing at this competitive level, and so this is why he is not desperate for a move to Saudi, even if the interest is there.”
Easy decision
The ball is very much in West Ham’s court with regards to Aguerd’s future as he is under contract for a further three-and-a-half years.
The 27-year-old has started 16 of United’s 20 Premier League games this season and therefore remains a key player for David Moyes.
Aguerd could generate a nice transfer fee, but it makes no sense for West Ham to sell unless they have a replacement lined up.
Dinos Mavropanos was brought in during the summer, but Moyes would still need another centre-back to rival Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna.
As far as a loan move goes, that makes even less sense. This is not a fringe player West Ham are desperate to offload we are talking about.
The good news from this update is that Aguerd is not pushing for a move, so the most likely outcome is that he will remain at London Stadium.
That is unless a sizable offer is tabled, at which point the Irons would have a big decision to make.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports reporter has shared details on a deal that is almost complete at London Stadium.