West Ham launch £15m bid for Rennes defender
West Ham have submitted a bid for 25-year-old Rennes centre-back Nayef Aguerd, according to a report.
David Moyes is searching for defensive recruitments after allowing Fabian Balbuena to leave on a free transfer.
The Hammers currently have Issa Diop, Craig Dawson and Angelo Ogbonna available as senior centre-back options.
Rover and out: Brereton’s movie summer masked Blackburn issues
They are expected to sign at least one new defender before the summer transfer window shuts on August 31.
Football Insider claims that West Ham have made a move in their pursuit of Aguerd.
They’ve supposedly tabled a £15million offer for the Morocco international, who has been capped eight times at international level.
However, Rennes are likely to reject the opening bid as they hold out for more money.
It means West Ham will have to return with an improved sum which could surpass £20m.
Moyes is operating on a relatively tight transfer budget but sees central defence as a priority.
Dawson and Ogbonna are both over 30 so a long-term option needs to be signed.
Aguerd has performed well in Ligue 1 in recent years and could be an ideal solution.
He made 35 league appearances last term as Rennes finished sixth in the table, qualifying them for the Europa Conference League.
The centre-half also featured four times in the Champions League but couldn’t help his team to get out of Group E.
The report claims that Aguerd’s price tag has skyrocketed since he moved from Dijon in August last year.
He is comfortable competing in the French top flight and could adjust quickly to the Premier League.
Should West Ham get a deal over the line, then Aguerd would become their fourth summer signing.
The London side made Dawson’s loan spell permanent by paying Watford £2million.
They also brought in Thierry Nevers on a free transfer from Reading and completed the loan signing of Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain.
Areola pulled off some good saves for Fulham in 20/21 but couldn’t help the Cottagers to avoid relegation.
He will compete with Lukasz Fabianski for a starting spot.
The Hammers start their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on Sunday August 15.
Before that they have a pre-season fixture against Italian side Atalanta in the Betway Cup.
