West Ham will sell centre-back Issa Diop for £60million, according to Sky Sports (live transfer blog, Monday, 8.34pm).
This comes after an Evening Standard report claimed that West Ham had informed Man United that they wouldn’t sell Diop. United had been linked with a £45million move.
Sky have also claimed that West Ham want a player as part of any deal for Diop, but that United won’t give them the player they want.
OPINION
West Ham paid £22.5million for Diop from Toulouse last summer and could be set to bank a significant profit on the 22-year-old. Diop settled in at West Ham very quickly and his underlying stats from last season were solid. According to WhoScored Diop made 2.1 tackles per game, 1.9 interceptions and 4.7 clearances across 33 Premier League games. West Ham, with Diop in the centre of defence, also finished last season on a high with three straight wins against Tottenham, Southampton and Watford, conceding just one goal. West Ham don’t want to lose him but every player has a price and the Hammers have reportedly decided £60m is the fee for Diop – almost three times what they paid for him last summer. If West Ham want a centre-back in return, Eric Bailly would surely be a prime candidate. The player United signed for £34million from Villarreal in 2016 only made eight Premier League starts last season and has been linked with a move away from the club. Cash and Bailly would represent a very good deal for West Ham, who hold the power in this struggle. It looks like this could all come down to how badly United want Diop.