West Ham United's bid to sign Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has hit a snag, according to reports emanating from France.
Just 24 hours ago it seemed as if the deal was all but done. However several sources across the channel are claiming the deal is off, for now - which is now being backed up by UK-based journalists too, KUMB can reveal.Embed from Getty Images
Off: West Ham's bid to sign Zouma has collapsed, say reports
Off: West Ham's bid to sign Zouma has collapsed, say reports
West Ham and Chelsea had agreed a fee in the region of £25million for the central defender, who had himself agreed personal terms with West Ham on a five-year contract.
According to news coming out of France tonight [Wednesday], the deal broke down over the manner in which West Ham wanted to structure payments - while a source on West Ham's side claimed the halt in negotiations was due to an issue with Zouma's representatives.
However a KUMB source says the delay is due to concerns regarding a cruciate knee injury sustained by the player five years ago.
Even though the deal is off for now, there is still hope from West Ham's side that a resolution can be reached with a week of the transfer window remaining.
Chelsea remain keen on signing Seville's Jules Kounde, a move which is dependent on Zouma being moved. Consequently the Blues are equally keen to find a solution - even though that doesn't appear to be quite as likely as it was 24 hours ago.
We'll have more for you on this developing story as it happens...
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