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West Ham are reportedly very close to completing a deal for Rennais central defender Nayef Aguerd.

It has been suggested that West Ham are closing in on making their first signing of the summer, with a deal for Aguerd set to be announced soon for an undisclosed fee.

The Hammers have been linked with a number of players since the conclusion of the 2021/22 season, and now the central defender could be the club’s first arrival.

Aguerd, who has made 19 appearances for the Moroccan national side, started his career with Faith Union Sport in his home country before moving to France to play for Dijon in 2018.

After two solid seasons in Ligue 1, the 26-year-old signed for Stade Rennais in a £3.6 million deal in August 2020 and has impressed at the club ever since.

This season he has been solid for Ligue 1 outfit, who ended up finishing 4th in the league and qualifying for the Europa League.

The defensive stability of Aguerd at the back played a key part in their success, helping his side concede just 40 goals in 38 games. 

The 6ft 2in strong defender offers West Ham a great aerial presence on both ends of the pitch, and he could create a formidable partnership alongside Kurt Zouma next year.

On top of that, he rarely makes many silly mistakes and has good passing abilities. With Zouma pairing next to him, the Hammers could well and truly be hard to play against next season.

As a left-sided defender, he can play next to Zouma well and interchange with Angelo Ogbonna – who should be available to play again following a serious knee injury by the start of the new campaign.

It seems like Aguerd could be a very good signing for David Moyes and the team, and he will definitely add reinforcement and squad depth even if he doesn’t start right away.

This should be the first of many summer signings during this transfer window, as the Hammers need to bulk up on players if they want to have another successful season next year.