West Ham United must reward Nayef Aguerd amid Liverpool and Manchester City links
Just when West Ham supporters thought it was safe to read the gossip columns again, fresh reports linking Nayef Aguerd with a move away from the London Stadium have emerged.
The Morocco international was strongly linked with a move to Al-Ettifaq in the closing stages of the Saudi transfer window last week, but he remains a West Ham player.
According to The Sun [11 September], however, Manchester City and Liverpool are now monitoring Aguerd with a view to making a move down the line.
A worrying development that may have been, but a separate report on The Athletic [11 September] suggested that, despite interest from Saudi and other English clubs, Aguerd has made it clear he is committed to West Ham.
That commitment works both ways, of course, and it may well be time for the Hammers to reach for the chequebook and reward the 27-year-old with a new contract.
Aguerd may only have signed a five-year deal at the London Stadium last summer upon joining, but his quality has been made clear to see and there is no harm in offering increased terms just to send out a message to other suitors: Back off!
Even on his current terms, the ball is very much in United’s court should a formal offer be made for the centre-back in January.
But given we were previously told Al-Ettifaq were willing to offer him 10 times his current salary [Goal], it makes you wonder just how much he is on at West Ham.
Either way, Aguerd has proven he is worthy of being among the top earners, and he is now firmly a fan favourite after supposedly saying ‘thanks but no thanks’ to other clubs.
Let’s just hope this is dealt with before January so that we’re not in for another window dominated by talk of potential exits.
In other West Ham news, an announcement by the club appears to have made clear their stance on David Moyes’ future.