With just over a week to go until the closure of the summer transfer window, West Ham and London rivals, Chelsea, have agreed a £25.7m fee for the transfer of Kurt Zouma to the east Londoners.
However, things aren’t as straightforward as they first appear.
With Sevilla putting pressure on the Blues to make good on their interest in Jules Kounde, Thomas Tuchel needs to move Zouma on quickly.
The player’s own preference to stay in London is what initially help up any Kounde deal, so the Hammers are a knight in shining armour at just the right time.
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However, it’s Zouma’s salary demands that are now the key to any deal being completed successfully.
According to The Athletic, the centre-back wants a weekly pay packet of £125,000, which would make him the highest earner at the club.
Unless an agreement can be reached quickly, neither Zouma nor Kounde will be going anywhere.