Sunderland have been credited with an interest in West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd
Sunderland have submitted an official bid for West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd, according to reports.
The Black Cats are understood to be in the market for defensive reinforcements between now and Monday’s transfer deadline, with Bologna star Jhon Lucumí one talent to have been frequently linked in recent days.
But it would appear that the Premier League new boys are keeping other options open too, and as per a fresh update from Foot Mercato reporter Santi Aouna, they are currently pushing to get a deal for Aguerd over the line.
What has been said about Sunderland’s transfer interest in Nayef Aguerd?
According to Aouna, Sunderland are facing competition for the Moroccan international’s signature from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, but are nevertheless continuing with plans to prise him away from West Ham.
Writing on X, Aouna said: “L'OM has accelerated in recent hours on Nayef Aguerd. Discussions ongoing with West Ham His possible arrival at L'OM is independent of that of Joël Ordoñez. In parallel, Sunderland is pushing and has officially submitted an offer to West Ham for the Moroccan.” For context, Ordoñez is a defender, currently on the books at Belgian side Club Brugge, who Marseille have also been heavily linked with in recent days.
For his part, Aguerd has featured prominently for West Ham so far this season, starting both of their Premier League fixtures to date, and playing 70 minutes of a midweek Carabao Cup clash with Wolves. In total, the 29-year-old has amassed 61 appearances for the Hammers since initially signing from Stade Rennais for around £30 million back in 2022.
More recently, he spent last season out on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad, registering 36 outings during his time in Spain. At the time of writing, he also has 55 senior international caps to his name.
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What Kristjaan Speakman has said about Sunderland’s transfer plans
Speaking to Football Focus before Sunderland's recent win over West Ham, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said the club would remain active in the transfer market right up until the transfer deadline on September 1st.
“It is a process all the way through to the end of the month," he said. "I mean, we're trying to build the best squad for the Premier League that we can do. We think we've had a really good start at that. Obviously, today will be a good test for us, the first game, but we'll be working away through to deadline day to try to make sure that the team is the right team and the squad is the right squad.
“Fans will be excited, obviously keen to see the new faces, but I think there'll be a few as well who want a bit of reassurance. You know, we've seen history not be kind to some clubs who've had a real go. So it's bound to be a bit of a gamble, it always is. But how much is the club future-proof to make sure everything will be okay in the long run? Yeah, we've always tried to look at every outcome when we make decisions.
“We're always looking at what's the short-term, and obviously for us that's the Premier League season, and obviously what the medium and long-term is. So we certainly have always been well-planned with that. I think you've always got to look at all the different outcomes, whether they're positive or negative.
“We're all geared up for the positive. You can spend a lot of time, I think, talking about the challenge and the difficulty. We've tried to assess the focus on what the solutions are and how we can build a really positive team for the Premier League.”
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