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West Ham captain Kurt Zouma is reportedly close to joining UAE Professional League side Shabab Al-Ahli on a free transfer.
Zouma, 29, has been with the Hammers since 2021 after joining from Chelsea for £29.8million.
He has amassed 103 appearances in all competitions and was part of the West Ham side that won the Europa League in 2023.
Zouma was named captain of the club at the start of the following season after Declan Rice joined Arsenal for £105 million.
But now, according to BBC Sport, the Frenchman will join Dubai-based Shabab Al-Ahli in the coming days.
Kurt Zouma is reportedly close to joining UAE Professional League side Shabab Al-Ahli
The report goes on to claim that Zouma has been in talks with the UAE Professional League side and that the deal is almost complete.
The 29-year-old is one of the highest earners at the London Stadium and has one year left on his contract.
His departure will help boost West Ham’s wage bill after a major summer restructuring under new manager Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers have already signed Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Guido Rodriguez for a combined outlay of £117.5m in this window.
If the move goes through, Zouma would join the likes of Thilo Kehrer, Stated Benrahma and Flynn Downes in leaving the club permanently.
Zouma’s departure will also end his 10-year stay in English football after originally joining Chelsea from Saint-Etienne for £12million as a 19-year-old in 2013.
The defender, who has 11 caps for France, played 151 times for the Blues, winning five trophies with the club, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.
While at Stamford Bridge, Zouma also enjoyed loan spells at Stoke City and Everton before his permanent move to West Ham in 2021.
Zouma’s time at West Ham has generally been a success, although he faced major controversy in 2022 when he was ordered to complete 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty to kicking and slapping his cat.
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