West Ham defender Kurt Zouma and young family left terrified after armed burglars steal £100,000 in cash and jewellery while they were in their home

Per the Daily Mirror, armed robbers broke into Zouma's home and stole as much as £100,000 in cash and jewellery, with West Ham now offering a £25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the thieves. West Ham did not give a reason for the defender's absence from their 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, but he was allowed to miss the game due to the terrifying ordeal.

Zouma was at home with his wife and four young children, one of whom is an infant, at the time of the robbery. As a result of the incident, police have subsequently warned the family's neighbours to be vigilant.

The Hammers issued a statement reading: "West Ham United has offered a £25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of burglars who broke into defender Kurt Zouma’s home on the eve of the Club’sPremier Leaguefixture againstCrystal Palacethis weekend.

“Kurt’s home was broken into on Saturday while all his family were in the house, leaving everyone present extremely distressed. While thankfully no one was harmed, it was a traumatic experience for the West HamUnited defender, his wife and their young family. The burglars took items of significant value and of huge personal and sentimental importance to the family. The West Ham United family continue to offer Kurt’s family their full support.”

West Ham face Tottenham in a London derby on Thursday but it has yet to be confirmed if Zouma will be involved. Without him, against Palace, Konstantinos Mavropanos played in defence, and made a crucial mistake that led to Palace's equaliser.