It seems that every club under the sun has been linked with him, and now we could finally be about to see Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma depart the club on a permanent basis.
West Ham United are said to have 'verbally agreed' a deal in excess of £30m for the French centre back who joined Chelsea in 2014. After spells on loan at Stoke City and Everton in the Premier League, Zouma found opportunities hard to come by until Frank Lampard gave him his shirt as a regular in the side.
Thomas Tuchel has gone with other options, playing with a back three, and Zouma now feels the time is right to leave Stamford Bridge. In recent days it seemed that Tottenham were the front runners in the race to land him, but West Ham have moved ahead and are now hoping to thrash out personal terms with Zouma and his agent, which would see him bolster The Irons backline in a season were they have Europa League football to look forward to.
Advert
The Athletic have reported that David Moyes looks set to land his man should Zouma, who has eight caps for France, be able to lower his £125k a week demands. There is no doubt the 26-year-old is proven at Premier League level despite him only making 99 appearances for Chelsea in a seven year spell at the club. His only appearance this season came in the UEFA Super Cup against Villarfeal.
Zouma's departure is set to accelerate Tuchel's persuit of Sevilla's Jules Kounde, another transfer saga which seems to have drawn on for eternity.
Featured Image Credit: PA ImagesTopics: Kurt Zouma, West Ham United, Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel