West Ham are on the verge of signing defender Kurt Zouma from Chelsea before the summer transfer deadline.
The 26-year-old centre-half is currently undergoing a medical in France after the clubs agreed a deal reportedly worth £25million.
Hammers boss David Moyes has been searching for defensive reinforcements all summer and appears to have finally got his man.
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“We lost Fabian Balbuena last season and three centre-backs is not enough,” said Moyes.
“We have had an offer accepted from Chelsea for Kurt but I could not tell you if the medical has been completed yet.”
Blues boss Thomas Tuchel also confirmed a deal was close.
He said: “There are negotiations between West Ham and Chelsea about Kurt. Kurt right now is not with us but not because of these negotiations.
“He’s had some personal and family issues and we allowed him to travel to France. There are negotiations but, to be very honest, I don’t know where that leads right now. Those things can happen at this stage.”
On West Ham’s goalscoring exploits so far this season, Moyes added: “I don’t want to have to concede two goals and score four goals every game, but I think the team’s getting better defensively.
“I hope that we can have a good defensive structure because to win you have to have a strong defence. The best teams have a good defence and we have to try and get that in place.
“The plan is to keep winning and get a level of consistency. Last year we showed the best level of consistency we’ve shown for a long time at the club. I think we’re up there in 2021 and we’ve started the season well. The challenge is to keep that going as long as we can.”
On any other new signings, Moyes continued: “If we can – and the team keeps playing the way it is – I’ll be even happier, because the team’s been excellent, and I think more competition in the squad would help.”
