West Ham star Nayef Aguerd lined up for £20m transfer to Champions League giants

ATLETICO MADRID are emerging as favourites to sign West Ham centre-half Nayef Aguerd in a £20million-plus swoop.

The Spanish giants hope to agree a fee with the Hammers for the 28-year-old Moroccan, who is keen to try his luck in LaLiga.

GettyNayef Aguerd is seeking a new challenge away from West Ham[/caption]

Aguerd’s old club Rennes want him back and could even offer more than Atletico but the player is more interested in a fresh challenge.

West Ham signed the defender from Ligue 1 in a £30m deal in 2022.

He has played 58 times for the Hammers, scoring four times.

During his first season he helped the East Londoners win the Europa Conference League.

Aguerd played eight times during West Ham’s victorious European campaign, including the final.

During his second campaign in England he was limited to just 21 Premier League appearances.

Having started the season as a regular, he dropped out of the team in December after suffering an illness before the Africa Cup of Nations.

He then went away to play for his nation at Afcon, eventually returning in February.

Aguerd would play in just one of the Hammers’ last 11 Prem games of the season.

He also featured six times in West Ham’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

The defender played in both legs of his side’s defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

West Ham lost 3-1 on aggregate to Xabi Alonso‘s side, who went on to fall in the final to Atalanta.

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