Exclusive: West Ham Decide on Swap Deal for £30m Star

Sign in to your GiveMeSport accountWest Ham United will not entertain allowing Nayef Aguerd to join Juventus in a switch which would see Daniele Rugani head in the opposite direction as influential figures at the London Stadium are prioritising a cash exit during the summer transfer window, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed. The Hammers completed the £32.8million permanent signing of Jean-Clair Todibo earlier this month, with the east Londoners having an obligation to keep the Frenchman after maintaining their top flight status, but head coach Graham Potter is seeking to make further alterations to his squad during the summer. Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings will officially depart when their respective contracts expire at the end of June – which will clear their combined salaries of £275,000-per-week off the wage bill – and Aguerd is on course to follow the quartet through West Ham’s exit door. Hammers Make Cash Exit Priority for AguerdPotter needs to accrue funds if central defender leaves permanently West Ham have ruled out negotiating a swap deal which would see Aguerd join Juventus, according to GMS sources, as their priority is to bring in funds from his departure and put the money towards bringing in a leading target as Potter goes in search of bolstering his current options ahead of next term. There have been suggestions that the Serie A heavyweights have discussed allowing Rugani, who has returned to the Allianz Stadium from a temporary spell with Eredivisie side Ajax, to head to east London in exchange for the central defender as they set their sights on reaching an agreement without having to fork out a lucrative fee. But GMS sources have been informed that West Ham have played down the possibility of swapping Aguerd, who enjoyed a productive 2024/25 campaign on loan with Real Sociedad, for Rugani and they are insistent that an offer has not been lodged at this stage of the transfer window. The Morocco international joined the Hammers in a £30million switch from Rennes in June 2022 but, having made it clear that he is interested in making a permanent departure after falling out of favour under previous boss Julen Lopetegui, the Bianconeri have been among the European giants circling for his signature. Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen previously attempted to advance in negotiations after turning their attention towards Aguerd, GMS sources have learned, and he is facing an uncertain future even though Potter has been prepared to hand him the opportunity to force his way into the forefront of his plans. East Londoners Name Price for Aguerd SwoopMorocco international expected to embark on fresh challenge GMS sources have been told that West Ham’s preference is to agree a deal worth in the region of £20million for Aguerd as they need to accrue cash from departures in order to have the required funds to enable Potter to make significant alterations to his squad heading into next season. It is increasingly likely that the 29-year-old, who has been described as ‘exceptional’, has already made his final competitive appearance in a Hammers shirt and that has resulted in Juventus being among the sides showing interest in offering a permanent route out of the London Stadium. West Ham have made it clear that they will not accept a swap offer which would involve landing Rugani as he is not on their shortlist of targets, GMS sources understand, but they are open to offloading Aguerd as they have found themselves in a situation where they need to facilitate exits in order to be able to secure reinforcements. Related‘I’m Told’ – Insider: West Ham Set to Make Offer to Sign ‘Outrageous’ ForwardFormer scout Mick Brown has claimed that West Ham United are preparing a bid for this brilliant forward.GMS sources recently revealed that the capital club’s limited budget has led to them focusing on acquiring talent from France and Belgium as there is confidence behind the scenes that there is better value for money overseas instead of dipping into the Championship or raiding Premier League rivals. All statistics courtesy of Sofascore – correct as of 23/06/2025 Sign up to The GIVEMESPORT Report to get exclusive daily updates from Fabrizio Romano, Ben Jacobs, Dean Jones and Tom Bogert sent straight to your inbox