West Ham roll the dice after concerning hitch surfaces in Chelsea transfer (original) (raw)

West Ham are prepared to roll the dice after proceeding with a Chelsea transfer despite an issue surfacing in a medical, according to a source.

The Hammers have made no secret of their desire to land a centre-back this summer. With just four days remaining in the window, their search appeared close to succeeding after a medical was scheduled for Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma.

The French centre-half, 25, was the subject of a successful £25m bid. Per Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, personal terms have also been agreed.

With those major hurdles cleared, passing a medical was the next obstacle that had to be overcome.

However, according to the Sun’s senior football reporter, Duncan Wright, an_ issue in the medical surfaced_.

Wright tweeted ‘knee issues’ were detected, though they came as ‘no surprise’ to the Hammers. He added that both sides are ‘keen to push on with the deal’ despite the problem.

As such, Sheth declared the medical to have been completed. He added ‘final financial terms’ are still ‘being negotiated’.

Kurt Zouma during the warm up before The Mind Series match at Emirates Stadium, London

Completing the deal would seemingly be in the best interests of all parties involved.

Zouma will have a greater chance of securing first-team football at West Ham who will in turn be bolstering their ranks ahead of juggling a tricky Europa League campaign.

Furthermore, Chelsea remain interested in Sevilla’s Jules Kounde. Progress on that front is expected to ramp up once Zouma’s exit has been sealed.

Moyes reacts to West Ham, Europa draw

Meanwhile, David Moyes is “really excited” about the European season ahead after West Ham learned their opponents for the Europa League group stage.

West Ham were placed in Group H on Friday, along with Dinamo Zagreb, Genk and Rapid Vienna. If they can balance their domestic duties well, it seems a reasonable group.

“I’m really excited,” said Moyes. “We watched the draw this morning and watched the pots come out.

“The biggest draw was to see West Ham in one of the pots, back in Europe and hopefully we’ll get the supporters to London Stadium for the games.

“The players earned it with their performances throughout the season, which rightly merited a place in European competition.”