Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is closing in on a transfer to West Ham United, with a five-year contract on the verge of being agreed upon.
According to a report from RMC Sport journalist Loic Tanzi, West Ham are bearing in on their next signing of the summer transfer window as a deal for Chelsea’s French defender Kurt Zouma is on the verge of completion.
Zouma has been with Chelsea since 2014, having arrived from boyhood club Saint-Etienne. Despite showing plenty of promise in his early years at the club, the 26-year-old was not able to nail down a starting berth at Stamford Bridge. Loan spells away to Stoke City and Everton helped him get his career back on track, before he got a shot at Chelsea again in 2019 under Frank Lampard.
A regular feature for most of the 2019/20 season, Zouma lost his place in the side following the arrival of Thiago Silva last term, with the appearances becoming even more sporadic once Thomas Tuchel took over earlier this year. With Chelsea now pushing ahead to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla, the French international risked falling further down the pecking order, which sealed his fate.
West Ham have been hot on the trails of the former Saint-Etienne defender, but a move had hit a snag over Chelsea’s asking price as well as Zouma’s wage demands. However, after having faced defeat in pursuit of other targets such as Nikola Milenkovic, the Hammers turned their attention back to the Chelsea star and agreed on a €30 million transfer fee to sign him up.
However, personal terms continued to remain a bone of contention as the Hammers were unwilling to meet the Frenchman’s lofty demands. But it seems like that bridge has been crossed as Loic Tanzi reports that West Ham and Zouma are close to agreeing terms on a five-year contract, bring the move close to completion.
Despite West Ham’s positive start to the season, it has been a frustrating summer with regards to the transfer window. Defence remains an area that needs strengthening considering that both Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna are into their thirties while Issa Diop hasn’t always found favour under David Moyes.
With Zouma, though, the east London giants will be getting a Premier League-proven defender, who at 26, still has his best years in front of him. The deal is not entirely wrapped up, but all signs are pointing towards the completion of the transfer, which would help West Ham address a key area of concern while allowing Chelsea to go after their primary target in Kounde.
