Just as the battle to sign Nayef Aguerd was heating up – Juventus and Roma reportedly going head to head for West Ham United’s £30 million Premier League forgotten man – a bucket of cold water may have been poured over Hammers heads.
And with Graham Potter awaiting the green light – a big sale required to unlock West Ham United’s summer – suggestions that Roma may be about to walk away from the Moroccan millstone certainly won’t be welcome.
Hammers News understands that, while Potter was willing to hand Nayef Aguerd a fresh start following his loan spell at Real Sociedad, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalist has no intention of ever pulling on a claret and blue shirt again.
It can now be revealed that Aguerd has requested not to be involved in West Ham’s pre-season plans. Of course, he is a brave man indeed to make such demands.
Bayer Leverkusen chose Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah over him, after all, while Marseille preferred to sign CJ Egan-Riley from Burnley on a free transfer.
What is it they say about beggars and choices? That old idiom seems lost on a man who sees suitors drop like flies.
Furthermore, while reports in the last week have indicated that Serie A giants Juventus and Roma could duke it out for Nayef Aguerd’s signature, what could have descended into a bitter bidding war may be over before it ever really began.
And it’s all thanks to Premier League newcomers Sunderland.
Nayef Aguerd in action during West Ham United v Chelsea FC in the Premier League
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
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Florent Ghisolfi leaving Roma for Sunderland could halt West Ham United’s Nayef Aguerd sale
Around the same time that Juventus coach Igor Tudor left the door ajar for Nayef Aguerd to swap the London Stadium for Turin, Sunderland agreed terms with Florent Ghisolfi to become their new technical director.
The 40-year-old Frenchman is one of the most respected young operators around. He was a major reason why Lens went from the second-tier to the Champions League in the blinking of an eye during the era of Seko Fofana and Lois Openda.
Ghisolfi is now set to be appointed to oversee Sunderland’s summer recruitment, leaving the Stadio Olimpico in the process.
And this is where Aguerd comes in.
According to Sky Italia, it was Ghisolfi who was driving Roma’s pursuit of Aguerd; A defender he knows well from his time in French football with Dijon and Rennes. Ghisolfi even held talks with Aguerd’s camp.
Now, as Corriere dello Sport explain, the director’s replacement at Roma – ex-Milan chief Frederic Massara – is far more ‘skeptical’. The Giallorossi would lose both Aguerd and Ivory Coast international Evan Ndicka during the African Cup of Nations, after all, which partly explains why a Massara-led Roma appear to have shifted towards Bologna’s Colombian colossus Jhon Lucimi instead.
Juventus boss Igor Tudor dropped Aguerd hint during the Club World Cup
Fortunately, Juventus remain interested with West Ham ready to accept offers just shy of £20 million.
“I have great respect for Moroccan players,” Igor Tudor told Analkhabar over the weekend, perhaps providing less-than-subtle hint into Juventus’ pursuit of Aguerd.
“They have a strong personality that distinguishes them on the field, in addition to their great technical talents.”
But with Roma cooling their jets, with Leverkusen, Marseille and Real Sociedad all changing path, Juventus now appear to stand alone in a relatively barren field.