West Ham are prepared to allow Nayef Aguerd to leave this summer, but their £25m asking price is scaring off suitors, while a swap deal with Chelsea involving Mohammed Kudus is also on the cards, TEAMtalk understands.
The Moroccan defender is out of favour at the London Stadium and his name has been circled to clubs, as Graham Potter looks to generate funds for new additions.
We understand that new Bayer Leverkusen manager Erik ten Hag, axed by Manchester United last season, has told his Bundesliga club to sign Aguerd.
French side Marseille are also interested in striking a deal for Aguerd, but are not willing to meet West Ham’s valuation.
Aguerd, who joined for £30m in 2022, still has two years left on his contract, but has no future at West Ham.
The 29-year-old spent the season on loan with Real Sociedad, but another short-term exit is not planned as Potter looks to reshape his side.
Despite long-serving pair Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell leaving on frees to make room in the West Ham squad, Aguerd still doesn’t feature in Potter’s thoughts.
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Aguerd is due to follow Mohammed Kudus, Guido Rodriguez, and Edson Alvarez out of the exit door this summer.
Kudus has Saudi clubs keen on his signature, while it’s believed the Ghanaian winger has been offered to Chelsea, as TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher reported on June 5.
West Ham want £70m for Kudus – almost double what the east Londoners paid Ajax just two years ago.
However, TEAMtalk understands that Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez could yet be involved in any deal, as the Blues look to sign AC Milan star Mike Maignan.
Sanchez worked with Potter at Brighton, and a reunion could materialise with both Chelsea and West Ham targeting a new No. 1.
The trio are among the West Ham players expected the depart this summer with the Irons facing financial constraints after shelling out over £120m last year.
And West Ham are also awaiting news on Lucas Pacqueta’s spot-fixing hearing, with a judgement likely to be announced before the new Premier League season.
The Brazilian midfielder, who denies any wrongdoing and has received the full backing of his club, faces four charges of spot fixing and two of obstructing an FA investigation in last week’s hearing.
One player that West Ham were keen to bring in was highly-rated defender CJ Egan-Riley, a key cog in Burnley’s impressive promotion-winning Championship side.
Egan-Riley was on West Ham’s radar, but the soon-to-be free agent is expected to join Ligue 1 side Strasbourg, who are managed by Liam Rosenior.
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