Earlier this week, the Moroccan media revealed Marseille’s wish to sign Nayef Aguerd from West Ham United in the summer.
It was claimed that club director Medhi Benatia set the defender as a target and would like to land him on loan with an option to buy.
There’s now a little development in this story, as Le10Sport features quotes from Hakim Zhouri, who’s a journalist for Lions de L’Atlas, who first broke the news.
The reporter managed to speak to people close to Aguerd who revealed to him why it’d be interesting for the player to leave West Ham in the summer window.
“I heard back from him yesterday and not from Benatia or Marseille. As far as Marseille’s interest in Aguerd is concerned, it’s really a Benatia lead, even if it has been validated by Longoria. The player is not against the idea of leaving because he has lost his status as an ‘indisputable’ starter. Now he’s more in the rotation, he comes into the game less. It’s true that he’s a bit injured, but he’s really less involved in the coach’s game.
“There are others ahead of him, so the club is not closed to the idea of letting him go. Secondly, the game plan might appeal to him at Marseille. After that, it will depend on a number of factors. In any case, for the time being, we’re only at the beginning of the process. The deal could initially take the form of a loan, with an obligation to buy or an option to buy. It will depend.”
Aguer has indeed been living some ups and downs with West Ham recently. With 28 appearances made this season, he’s only started once in the Hammers’ last seven Premier League games.
However, it’s worth recalling that West Ham spent €35m to get him signed in 2022, and Transfermarkt value him at €38m. Therefore, Marseille better make a decent effort to convince the London side to accept a deal in the summer.
