West Ham closing in on £30m transfer for Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd after failing in bid to sign him last summer

WEST HAM are finalising the details of a £30million deal for Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd. Hammers boss David Moyes is desperate to add to his defensive options this summer and has long tracked Aguerd, 26. The east Londoners tried to sign the Morocco international last summer but Ligue 1 side Rennes refused to sell. West […]

WEST HAM are finalising the details of a £30million deal for Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd.

Hammers boss David Moyes is desperate to add to his defensive options this summer and has long tracked Aguerd, 26.

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Aguerd looks set to swap France for England this summer[/caption]

The east Londoners tried to sign the Morocco international last summer but Ligue 1 side Rennes refused to sell.

West Ham have met with the player and his representatives while talks are down to the finer details with Rennes.

The final deal could reach around £30million with the Hammers now negotiating over add-ons and clauses with the French side.

Moyes battled through a defensive crisis across last season, with his side reaching the Europa League semi-finals and finishing 7th in the Premier League.

Veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna suffered a season-ending ACL injury during West Ham’s win over Liverpool in November.

That result took West Ham to third in the Prem but they struggled for consistency in the months after his injury – while Kurt Zouma had two spells on the sideline during the season.

Craig Dawson also played through injury at times and Issa Diop struggled for form.

West Ham tried to sign Croatian Duje Caleta-Car from Marseille in January but could not agree a deal – but they are moving quickly to land Aguerd this summer.

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Moyes is hoping to add a number of new faces as they push to get back into the Europa League or even Champions League next season.

A striker is a top priority with Chelsea‘s Armando Broja and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins both well liked, while England duo James Ward-Prowse and Kalvin Phillips are both targets in midfield.

Moyes also wants to add a left-back this summer as he looks to upgrade on Aaron Cresswell.

The experienced full-back has been crucial to West Ham’s rise under Moyes but was twice sent off in the Europa League knockout stages, including in their semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt.