How do West Ham United solve a problem like Nayef Aguerd? The £30 million forgotten man who returns from a loan spell at Real Sociedad desperate to leave the Premier League outfit for good this time around.
Well, a solution might just have presented itself, and not a moment too soon.
And, unfortunately for Graham Potter, that solution does not arise via Nayef Aguerd performing a sudden U-turn on his future at West Ham United.
Hammers News understands that Potter was keen to hand Aguerd a fresh start following his return from a season in La Liga. The feeling, though, was far from mutual. Morocco international Aguerd has little interest in picking up where he left off at the London Stadium.
He might not have to, either. Not with clubs in France, Germany and Spain all queueing up to offer the £30 million signing from Stade Rennais a clean break.
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Bayer Leverkusen interested in West Ham United’s Nayef Aguerd
According to Foot Mercato, Marseille, Atletico Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen want Nayef Aguerd this summer.
Real Sociedad decided not to pursue a permanent deal after the 2022 World Cup semi-finalist suffered an injury-hit final few weeks at San Sebastian. That does not appear to have put Atletico off, however, despite Aguerd featuring in only one of the last 11 La Liga matches of this season.
Champions League-bound Marseille know the Conference League winner well from his time in France. Aguerd spent four Ligue 1 seasons with Dijon and Rennes respectively.
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As for Bayer Leverkusen, a potential switch to the recently-deposed Bundesliga champions may have taken a step closer on Thursday when one of the worst kept secrets on the European transfer market finally became public knowledge.
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Photo by Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Erik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen lose Jonathan Tah to Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have now officially confirmed, just weeks after snatching the league crown back from Leverkusen’s head, that Jonathan Tah has swapped the Bay Arena for the Allianz.
A massive presence in Leverkusen’s first-ever title-winning campaign under Xabi Alonso – figuratively and literally, at a sky-scraping 6ft 5ins – the Germany defender becomes the latest in a long line of players to join Bayern from a domestic rival.
He follows in the footsteps of Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Mats Hummels and one-time Leverkusen talisman Michael Ballack.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
New head coach Erik ten Hag, then, not only arrives under pressure to emulate Alonso’s record-setting success. The former Ajax and Manchester United boss must also work – in conjunction with the Bayer boss – to find a replacement for one of the club’s most dependable pillars.
This, seemingly, is where Aguerd comes in.
And while Aguerd is not quite a like for like successor – he is left-footed, whereas Tah is more comfortable on his right – his addition could see the ambidextrous Edmond Tapsoba shift across from the left to the right as part of a re-jigged backline.
West Ham were heavily linked with Jonathan Tah themselves during the David Moyes era, of course.
The closest he would come to moving to the London Stadium, however, is when he helped Bayer Leverkusen secure a 1-1 draw away to the Hammers in last year’s Europa League semi-finals.