Kurt Zouma ‘set to join UAE Pro League side Shabab Al-Ahli on a free transfer’ – as the West Ham captain prepares to bring to an end his three-year stint with the Hammers
- Kurt Zouma joined West Ham from Chelsea in 2021 for a fee of £29.8million
- Zouma played over 100 times for the Hammers and became club captain
- The defender will now join UAE Pro League club Shabab Al-Ahli on a free transfer.
West Ham captain Kurt Zouma is reportedly set to join UAE Pro League club Shabab Al-Ahli on a free transfer.
Zouma, 29, has been with the Hammers since 2021 after joining from Chelsea for £29.8million.
He made 103 appearances in all competitions and was part of the West Ham team that won the Europa Conference League in 2023.
Zouma was appointed captain at the start of the following season after Declan Rice left for Arsenal for £105million.
According to BBC Sport, the Frenchman is expected to leave soon for Dubai-based Shabab Al-Ahli.
Kurt Zouma is reportedly set to join UAE Pro League club Shabab Al-Ahli
The report further claims that Zouma is in talks with the UAE Pro League club and that the deal is close to being completed.
The 29-year-old is one of the highest earners at the London Stadium and has one year left on his contract.
His departure is expected to help improve West Ham’s wage budget after a major summer overhaul under new manager Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers have already signed Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Guido Rodriguez for a combined fee of £117.5million this transfer window.
If the transfer goes ahead, Zouma will leave the club permanently, just like Thilo Kehrer, Said Benrahma and Flynn Downes.
Zouma’s departure also ends his 10-year spell in English football, having moved to Chelsea from Saint-Etienne in 2013 for £12million at the age of 19.
The defender, who made 11 appearances for France, made 151 appearances for the Blues and won five trophies with the club, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
During his time at Stamford Bridge, Zouma was also loaned to Stoke City and Everton before moving to West Ham permanently in 2021.
Zouma’s time at West Ham has been generally successful, although he faced considerable controversy in 2022 when he was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after confessing to kicking and punching his cat.
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