West Ham are close to the £30m signing of defender Nayef Aguerd from Rennes.
Aguerd, 26, has been identified by manager David Moyes as the next piece in his plan to make West Ham genuine challengers for a top-six spot.
The Morocco player made 66 league appearances for French side Rennes after joining from Dijon in 2020.
In a farewell post to fans on social media, Aguerd said it was a “difficult decision” to leave Rennes as he had enjoyed “exceptional times” there.
Aguerd, who has 25 caps for Morocco, was an ever-present in his country’s run to the last eight of the Africa Cup of Nations last season.
He also played in both play-off matches against Congo as Morocco reached the World Cup in Qatar.
It is understood Aguerd is likely to have a medical with West Ham on Monday.
If the deal goes through, he will become West Ham’s fourth-highest transfer, behind Sebastien Haller, Felipe Anderson and Kurt Zouma.
