West Ham defender Pierre Ekwah is set to depart the club with a move close to being concluded, it has been reported by ExWHUEmployee.

It was exclusively revealed by Ex at the beginning of the transfer window that the former Chelsea academy midfielder, who signed for the Hammers back in 2021, was said to be a key target for Championship side Sunderland.

As reported a few weeks back, the Frenchman was also a target for MK Dons, however it appears that the Black Cats have won the race for his signature, with Ex reporting that the deal now is likely to be a permanent one.

Ekwah had joined the club with high expectations, however unfortunately hasn’t progressed as hoped and therefore a decision to allow the defensive midfielder to leave has been agreed.

“We believe that French midfielder Pierre Ekwah is set to complete his move to Sunderland on a permanent deal,” Ex reported on Patreon.

“This is something we exclusively reported at the start of the window. Sunderland had been negotiating a loan deal for the former Chelsea player but a permanent deal seems to have been concluded, as well as a loan deal talked about, they seem to have persuaded Ekwah to settle for a permanent deal out of the two.”

It is understood that the club have negotiated a sell-on percentage in the agreement with Sunderland, however Ex has stated this will be confirmed once fully established.