West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd is being courted by Marseille | OneFootball

West Ham United defender Nayef Aguerd is seemingly on his way out of the club this summer. According to RMC Sport, Olympique Marseille are interested in his services.

Per the report, ‘Aguerd is being courted despite the difficulty of the file.’

The deal is hard to pull off because the French side is likely unwilling to stump up the fee West Ham will demand to let him go.

The 29-year-old joined West Ham in 2022 but struggled to live up to expectations in England. Injuries played a part in hampering his progress.

Former West Ham manager David Moyes referred to Aguerd as a ‘stylish footballer’ following his £30 million arrival from Rennes.

When things did not work out in East London, he went on loan to Real Sociedad, where he impressed, but the Basque side is not keen on making the deal permanent.

Marseille are sniffing around, but there is no assurance that they will cough up the funds to sign him, leaving the Hammers in a pickle.

West Ham could use the funds from his sale to bolster their coffers and reinforce the defence, which remains unstable despite the arrival of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo.

If they can sell Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos, the Hammers will have enough to buy at least one quality defender to add to the ranks.

West Ham still need to refurbish that rearguard. The Irons had the sixth-worst defensive record in the Premier League this season.

The Hammers also conceded the fifth-most expected goals (xG).

Interestingly, a new defender might not even solve the problem for West Ham. The Hammers also need a holding midfielder to screen and protect the backline.

Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez endured a miserable 2024/25 campaign.

Adding a top-class, in-form anchor has to top the transfer wishlist this summer, ahead of signing a new defender.