West Ham are believed to be continuing their pursuit of Chelsea central defender Kurt Zouma this summer.
Irons’ boss David Moyes admitted over the weekend a desire to sign a defender before the transfer window closes.
For a long time, it looked as though Fiorentina ace Nikola Milenkovic would be the man through the door at the London Stadium.
However, as the move for the Serbian reportedly collapsed, Zouma may have come back onto the radar.
That’s according to a report from the Evening Standard, as cited by Standard Sport on Twitter, claiming the interest remains despite a major issue.
Twitter: West Ham are still hopeful of signing Kurt Zouma as they chase a centre-back this month…
…but the Chelsea man’… https://t.co/XukjqNOuep (@standardsport)
The report states that whilst the Frenchman is ‘free to leave’ Stamford Bridge, the Hammers may struggle to match the star’s wages due to ‘operating on a limited transfer budget’ this summer.
Zouma was overlooked on Saturday as 22-year-old Trevor Chalobah made a Premier League debut against Crystal Palace whilst the eight-times capped French ace watched on.
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Valued at £28.8million and under contract in west London until 2023 (Transfermarkt), signing the powerful defender for the mooted £25million would represent impressive value.
The Frenchman has amassed 165 Premier League appearances at the age of 26, proving he has the experience and quality to slot straight into Moyes’ side.
Currently, the Irons only have Craig Dawson, Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna as senior central defenders – meaning a new arrival before the end of the window is essential.
Having been previously priced out of a move for James Tarkowski previously, West Ham could turn to Liverpool ace Nat Phillips should Zouma’s wages prove to be a step too far.
