West Ham are making progress with their bid to sign Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma, but still need to complete personal terms with the player.
The Hammers have been interested in Zouma for a number of weeks, but had initially been reluctant to face Chelsea’s price of £ 25 million.
But after interrupting his quest for Nikola Milenkovic – who has since signed a new contract at Fiorentina – 90min has been told that West Ham are slowly pulling a deal for Zouma together, and a transfer has basically been agreed with Chelsea.
However, the deal is not nearing completion as West Ham still need to agree on personal terms with Zouma and his representatives, unlike other reports.
The 26-year-old, who has had a watch time for Chelsea’s first two Premier League games of the new season, is seeking a salary increase of almost 50% on what he earns at Stamford Bridge, although he has indicated all summer that he wants to stay in London.
Zouma has really turned down the chance to join serial Europa League winner Sevilla – despite Chelsea’s desire to use him as a bargaining chip in their attempt to sign the highly-ranked Jules Kounde.
A move to West Ham is not nailed down, but Hammer’s boss David Moyes is a big fan of Zouma, while a sale from Chelsea’s perspective would almost certainly ignite their bid to land Kounde.
90min understands that the club is still hopeful of reaching an agreement before the end of the transfer window and talks have continued between Chelsea and Sevilla despite Zouma refusing to move earlier this month.
The Andalusians had told Chelsea they would need to come up with a £ 90m package for Kounde, but there is growing confidence that the figure could be negotiated.
As for West Ham, their recruitment is unlikely to end with Zouma. The transfer window has only provided a loan deal for goalkeeper Alphonse Areola so far, but the club are keen to add at least one more striker to their ranks.
A return to London Stadium is also possible for Jesse Lingard, as his prospects at Manchester United continue to decline, either on loan again or on a permanent basis. Again, personal terms can be a problem for West Ham, but Lingard’s demands may drop given West Ham’s fantastic start to the 2021/22 campaign.
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