British media confirmed that French player Kurt Zouma traveled to Dubai to undergo a medical examination in preparation for joining Shabab Al-Ahli during the current transfer period.
The British newspaper, The Sun, said that the West Ham player agreed to move to the Dubai Knights, after all the details of his contract with the club were agreed upon.
She added: “Zuma has only one year left on his contract with the London club, and he is one of the highest-paid players on the team, as he will join Shabab Al-Ahli on a free transfer without the Hammers receiving any financial compensation, in exchange for the Emirati club bearing the player’s salary that he would have received from his club in the 2024-2025 season.”
The 29-year-old impressed for the Hammers last season, making 33 appearances, but he will have no problem leaving West Ham, who have made six signings this summer, including the £40m signing of Wolves defender Maximilian Kilman, who is likely to replace the Frenchman.
Zouma, 29, has made more than 100 appearances for West Ham since joining from Chelsea for £29m in 2021, and was also in the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina in 2023.
Zouma captained West Ham at the start of last season, following Declan Rice’s departure to Arsenal.
If the deal for the French national team player to join Shabab Al Ahli is completed, it will be the fifth deal concluded by the club during the current transfer period, after contracting with Gaston Suarez from Bani Yas, Sardar Azmoun from Bayer Leverkusen, Rakan Al Menhali from Al Jazira, and Omar Keita from Emirates Club, while the “Dubai Knights” had announced the contracting of Brazilian Riquelme Hernandez, a player for the Brazilian national team under 23 years old, coming from the Cuiaba team in preparation for registering him in the resident player category, in a deal worth about two million dollars, according to Brazilian media, as Hernandez (21 years old) is good at playing in the left-back position.
The new contracts represent a great support for the club’s efforts to compete strongly in local championships in the new season, and the AFC Champions League for the elite, after contracting with the Portuguese coach Paulo Sousa.
On the other hand, Shabab Al-Ahli continues its preparations for the upcoming match against Al-Gharafa of Qatar in the second round of the preliminary stage qualifying for the group stage of the AFC Champions League for the elite, as they meet in Doha next Tuesday.
Shabab Al-Ahli had defeated its host, Sepahan of Iran (4-1) in the first preliminary round, after turning a one-goal deficit in the first half into a big victory, thanks to the goals scored by Sardar Azmoun, Yuri Cesar, and Yahya Al-Ghassani (two goals).
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