Despite links to a move away from the club this summer, West Ham captain Kurt Zouma is ‘really excited’ to be in America for pre-season this summer. 

The Hammers arrived in Florida on Monday for their ‘Sunshine State’ pre-season tour, the tour followed a pre-season 1-0 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge where Kurt Zouma featured in the first half. He also featured in the 2-2 draw vs Ferencvaros in Austria last week. The Frenchman is now looking to build on that in America ahead of the new Premier League campaign.

Zouma told the official West Ham website: “Pre-season has been really good, and I’m just looking forward to keeping going and keeping the intensity high.”

“Everything has been new – the Head Coach has come in with his own ideas of how he wants us to play, and there have been some tough sessions, but that’s what the summer is all about.

“He [Lopetegui] is very patient and makes sure we’re all going in the same direction. I think we’ve all seen that work pay off, and now it’s going to be good being in America, and trying to go to the next level.”

West Ham have been keen to sell either Kurt Zouma or Nayef Aguaerd this summer and replace them with a ball-playing centre-back. While Aguerd would suit Lopetegui’s system, the club wants to let him go due to his eagerness to leave the club.

Zouma seems to be enjoying his time under Lopetegui, however, the Spaniard is still set to take the captaincy from the Frenchman. Jarrod Bowen, Max Kilman, and Edson Alvarez are all candidates to take on the role. As a player, Kurt Zouma doesn’t really fit Lopetegui’s style of play due to his lack of ability on the ball.

Nayef Aguerd seems to be the most likely to leave the club this summer as he has been linked to former club Rennes and most recently Atletico Madrid, while there is yet to be any serious interest in Zouma. So, therefore the Champions League winner will most likely stay at the London Stadium.

Zouma added: “The biggest thing about the summer is preparing for the start of the season, and those games will definitely help us do that.

“Hopefully after the trip to America, we’ll have answers to a lot of our questions. We’re playing against two strong sides, who obviously play in the Premier League, so it should be good for the fans to see, too.

“I am really excited to be in America! I’ve been to Los Angeles, but never Florida before, so it’s new and I’m looking forward to seeing what we get up to out here. I like American culture – like the NBA – so hopefully I can find out more about things like that.

“It’s also going to be really good to meet some of our fans out here. West Ham are massive everywhere, and I know there’s going to be a huge following. We’ll do our best to perform for them, and hopefully, we can earn them some wins!”

The Hammers face two Premier League sides in Florida, they face Wolverhampton Wanderers at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville (Saturday 27 July, 7pm EDT) and Crystal Palace at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa (Saturday 3 August, 7pm EDT) as part of the inaugural Stateside Cup.