David Gold has revealed that West Ham striker Diafra Sakho is not for sale this summer despite reports suggesting he was in France ahead of a move to Ligue 1 side Rennes.
The Sun claimed that Sakho, 27, was on his way to France to complete a move to the French outfit for a fee of £9million, with only a year remaining on his contract at the London Stadium.
However, West Ham owner David Gold claimed on his personal Twitter account that Sakho is “not for sale” and remains an “integral part” of the Hammers squad ahead of their 2017-18 season.
Diafra Sakho is not for sale in this transfer window he is an integral part of our first team squad and will play a part in our recovery. dg pic.twitter.com/wtBNB8H2D5
— David Gold (@davidgold) August 30, 2017
Sakho made just four appearances in all competitions last season, scoring only one goal as he failed to put a long-term back injury behind which eventually saw him undergo an operation to correct the problem.
Returning to fitness, Sakho is behind the likes of Marko Arnautovic, Michail Antonio and Javier Hernandez in the pecking order but has featured as a substitute in all three Premier League matches this season.
The six-time Senegal international has even found the back of the net already this term, as well as laying on an assist during the Hammers’ Carabao Cup win against Cheltenham Town.
OPINION
This is a weird one, after reports that he’d passed his medical. If true and not a ruse to extract more money for him, Gold and the rest of the West Ham hierarchy must now offer the attacker a new contract if he is to remain with the club, as they risk losing him on a free transfer in January under the Bosman ruling to foreign clubs. The forward has shown enough to be able to produce in the Premier League for the east Londoners, scoring 16 goals in 51 top-tier matches, but it remains to be seen if he can deliver consistently if given a chance. The message from Gold does seem pretty definitive though.