Sticking point remains as West Ham agree fee for top target from Chelsea
West Ham have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the signing of one of their top targets this summer, according to reports.
The Hammers kicked off their Premier League campaign with an eventful 4-2 win against Newcastle. Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek were on target as they picked up three points on the road.
David Moyes will be looking for a similar performance when they face Leicester City on Monday evening.
Moyes has improved his squad this summer with the signings of Thierry Nevers from Reading and Alphonse Areola from PSG.
The Hammers also made Craig Dawson’s loan from Watford permanent for just £2million.
They’ve been heavily linked with Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, although his £30m price tag is proving to be a sticking point.
One top six player they look set to bring in is Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma. CaughtOffside write that the two clubs have agreed on a fee worth £25.7m for the Frenchman.
A transfer could go ahead before the window shuts at 11pm on August 31.
Chelsea are aiming to offload Zouma so they can sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla. Thomas Tuchel has a host of centre-back options and Zouma is arguably the lowest in the pecking order.
However, a transfer to West Ham will not be simple. The report cites The Athletic, who claim that Zouma wants £125,000 a week to move to the London Stadium.
He is keen to remain in the capital but wants to be heavily compensated for joining a new side.
Those wages would make the 26-year-old West Ham’s highest earner, ahead of Andriy Yarmolenko and Jarrod Bowen. They earn a reported £115,000 and £96,154 a week respectively.
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Zouma has been at Stamford Bridge for seven years. He originally joined the Blues for £12m as a teenager and has since made 151 appearances in all competitions.
His fortunes have been mixed. He hasn’t always been a first-team regular and has had to deal with a number of new managers coming in.
Zouma impressed towards the start of last season, scoring four goals in his first ten games. However, he began to be used as a substitute following the arrival of Tuchel in January.
The German has Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen and Toni Rudiger available in the centre of defence.
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West Ham eye £25m-rated Lille star
West Ham could also move for £25m-rated Lille winger Jonathan Bamba, should Jesse Lingard remain in Manchester.
The Frenchman registered six goals and 11 assists last term, helping Lille to win their first league title in ten years.
He started his career with St Etienne before being snapped up by Lille three years ago.
Bamba has improved his transfer value massively since then with some impressive performances at the Stade Pierre Mauroy.
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