Nayef Aguerd looks set to make a move to Italy with Juventus poised to make a move, and it is excellent news for West Ham United.
West Ham apparently cannot buy players till they sell others, so it’s been a quiet start to the transfer window so far. However, we could start getting active as Nayef Aguerd could be set for a move to Serie A this week, with Juventus and Roma interested in the 30-year-old.
The sale of the Moroccan could give the Hammers the funds to move on some of the players we’ve been linked to, which could finally kickstart the rebuild we need under Graham Potter this season.
However, raising funds isn’t the only positive about this sale. Nayef Aguerd hasn’t been happy at the club pretty much since his arrival. Despite being part of the Conference League winning squad, he hasn’t ever really been taken to by Hammers fans because of his attitude. He reportedly refused to play for the club in the games leading up to the 2024 AFCON tournament.
Since arriving, Hammers fans have got the vibe that he thinks he’s better than the club, but his performances haven’t shown that at all. He was supposed to be excellent on the ball, and we never really saw that in a West Ham shirt. And the less spoken about some of his defensive performances, the better.
Aguerd spent last season on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad, and he had a very good season, suggesting he isn’t a bad player; he’s just not suited to the Premier League, so he has kept more of his value than he would have staying at West Ham.
The Hammers are chasing. more than £20m for his signature, but Juve have other ideas. The Old Lady could be set to offer money plus Daniele Rugani.
This is a deal that wouldn’t make much sense, because we need to raise as much money as possible. Rugani isn’t the type of player Potter and Macauley are after, and he is probably on ridiculous wages. If we can get close to £20m in cash for Aguerd from Juventus or Roma, or Bayer Leverkusen, or Marseille, who also have an interest in the defender, we need to go with that.
