Midfielder Steven Nzonzi has rejected a move to West Ham United in favour of joining Ligue 1 side Rennes, according to a report on FootMercato.
The 31-year-old midfielder has also been subject to interest from Everton and Aston Villa, but the report claims that Nzonzi ‘has decided’ to join Rennes on loan until June.
The report also states that the arrival of the midfielder is set to be formalised and completed by Rennes in the next couple of hours.
It was reported earlier this month that the Hammers had agreed on a deal to sign Nzonzi from AS Roma but it now seems like the Hammers have been turned down.
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The report also reveals that the prospect of securing European qualification with Rennes ‘clearly excited the player’ and that could be one of the main reasons why he decided to join the Ligue 1 club.
Rennes are flying high in third place in the French top flight and Nzonzi, who is on loan to Galatasaray from Roma, has only made 15 appearances in all competitions this season.
We believe that joining Rennes will provide Nzonzi with the opportunity of more playing time but, we are also incredibly disappointed that the Hammers could not get a deal over the line because he would have provided some great depth in midfield alongside Mark Noble and Declan Rice.
At the moment, there is a huge reliance on the pair in midfield, with Rice featuring in every league game so far this season, whilst Noble has only been absent in three league encounters and this could result in the pair suffering from fatigue and burnout at a crucial stage of the campaign.
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