West Ham United agree £30 million deal to sign Nayef Aguerd

Premier League side West Ham United have agreed on a £30 million summer deal for Rennes star Nayef Aguerd.

According to BBC, West Ham United have agreed to sign Rennes star Nayef Aguerd this summer in a deal worth £30 million.

The 26-year-old has been a colossus at the back for Ligue 1 side Rennes and has been a regular for them since joining the club in 2020. A centre-back, he is also capable of playing at left-back and can do a job at the back for the Hammers.

A move to the English top-flight is a fair reward for a player whose career has been on the upward trajectory in recent seasons. The Moroccan international is not just adept with the ball at his feet but is also a force to be reckoned with in the air. This should also help Aguerd contribute as an indirect threat on set-pieces at the other end once he joins West Ham.

David Moyes has done a fine job at West Ham United over the last couple of campaigns, and the Hammers will once again compete in Europe next season. The Londoners were the dark horses for a top-four finish in 2021/22 but eventually settled for a UEFA Europa Conference League spot.

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A major reason for West Ham’s fall-off towards the final few months of the campaign was their inability to stay disciplined at the back. Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson are not getting any younger, while Kurt Zouma’s off-field antics have taken centre-stage. Issa Diop is a promising player, but his future at the London Stadium is far from secure.

Bringing in a young centre-back is more of a necessity rather than a luxury, and in Aguerd, Moyes is doing just that. The 26-year-old has already opened up on the move on social media and will have his medical on Monday. The Hammers will hope that there is no late twist in what is more or less a done deal worth £30 million.

Should the £30 million transfer go through, Aguerd will be West Ham’s fourth most expensive signing in history. Splashing the cash on the Moroccan shows the regard in which the London side holds him, and it could prove to be an inspired move come to the end of the 2021/22 campaign.