West Ham on verge of announcing first summer signing

West Ham are on the verge of announcing their first signing of the summer in the form of Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd, according to reports.

The Hammers have struggled at centre-back this season, largely owing to injury. Angelo Ogbonna suffered a season-ending injury, while both Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop also spent significant time on the treatment table. That left Craig Dawson, now 32 years old, as a mainstay of the defence, and resulted in him racking up over 4000 minutes.

As a result, they are clearly in the market for defenders to strengthen their backline, with a move for Aguerd seemingly set to be completed imminently, according to reliable West Ham source EXWHUemployee.

The 6ft2″ centre-back appeared 31 times this season for the Ligue 1 side, scoring twice and providing three assists from the heart of defence.

West Ham on verge of announcing first summer signing

REIMS, FRANCE – APRIL 09: Nayef Aguerd of Stade Rennais in action during the Ligue 1 Uber Eats match between Reims and Rennes at Stade Auguste Delaune on April 9, 2022 in Reims, France. (Photo by Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images)

Lingard in the works?

On the back of a gruelling campaign, it is clear that David Moyes is looking to strengthen early in the transfer window and, with Nicola Vlasic having failed to impress since his big-money move last summer, the Hammers are thought to be chasing Jesse Lingard once more.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 21: Jesse Lingard of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium(Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images).

Lingard enjoyed a brilliant end to the 2020-21 season while on loan at West Ham, but was unable to make the move permanent and now looks certain to leave Manchester United on a free transfer this summer when his contract runs out.

BREAKING: West Ham make an initial enquiry over signing #MUFC midfielder Jesse Lingard on a free transfer ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/dvy3HAQarp

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 24, 2022

And the Hammers are once more interested in bringing in the midfielder, though his wages could well prove to be a stumbling block. However, should he be able to recreate the sort of form he enjoyed during his last spell with the Hammers, they would surely pay for themselves.