West Ham eye summer move for £25m-rated Nathan Zeze
West Ham United are looking at FC Neom defender Nathan Zeze ahead of the summer transfer window.
West Ham Zone understands that the Hammers are monitoring the France Under-21 star to bolster their backline.
A source revealed that the 20-year-old is valued at around the £25million mark by the Saudi Arabian club.
The centre-back signed for Christophe Galtier’s side in July 2025, and made 29 appearances in the 2025-26 season.
West Ham do not know what division they will be in next season, so that could complicate the pursuit.
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Why a West Ham move for Zeze makes sense
A move for Zeze makes sense, especially given that Konstantinos Mavropanos has been linked with a move away from West Ham.
The Greek defender has been a brilliant presence at the back and going forward in recent weeks, and it would be a big blow if he was to leave the London Stadium, with contract talks ongoing but no agreement reached.
The addition of Zeze would soften any exit for the Greece international, and provide a ready-made option to slot into Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side next season.
How does Zeze compare with Mavropanos?
Of course, the standard of the Saudi league compared to the English top-flight has to be taken into consideration, but the Hammers targets compares well with Mavropanos.
Zeze is strong on the ball, completing 90 per cent of his pass attempts and averaging 0.4 key passes, with the Greek being accurate with 82 per cent of his passes and making 0.1 key passes, per Sofascore.
Defensively, the young French ace averages 0.7 tackles per game, four ball recoveries per game and 5.9 clearances per game.
| How they compare | Zeze | Mavropanos |
| Pass accuracy | 90% | 82% |
| Key passes | 0.4 | 0.1 |
| Tackles per game | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Ball recoveries per game | 4 | 3.2 |
| Clearances per game | 5.9 | 6.2 |
| Ground duels won | 41% | 65% |
| Aerial duels won | 55% | 67% |
Meanwhile, the current Irons star averages 1.2 tackles per game, 3.2 ball recoveries per game and 6.2 clearances per game.
The Saudi-based player wins 41 per cent of duels on the ground and 55 per cent in the air compared to success rates of 65 per cent and 67 per cent for Mavropanos.
Mavropanos is clearly the better player right now, but Zeze is very young and has lots of time to develop into a superstar, it could be a very clever move if Nuno and Co can get it done.