David Moyes could be forced to sell West Ham United defender Issa Diop during the summer transfer window, according to Sky Sports.
Diop’s future at the London Stadium has been cast in doubt amid the Hammers’ plans to raise funds for our own arrivals, with Moyes already reportedly open to parting ways with a range of the big-name signings made during Manuel Pellegrini’s tenure.
Moyes has since allegedly backed down on plans to sell Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson has stated that his mind remains ‘at West Ham’, but a U-turn on Diop may not occur with Irons chiefs potentially willing to listen to offers for our former club-record £22million signing.
Diop is believed to be a target for at least two Premier League sides, although neither are named, and was touted as an option for Manchester United last summer.
The Red Devils would have been obliged to pay £75m to land Diop a year ago, but it is now expected that his signature could be secured for £45m – marking a profit in excess of £15m, once the Frenchman’s £67,000-per-week contract is taken into account.
A valuation closer to £45m may prove more attractive for Manchester United this time around, having discussed a £43m plus player offer for the 23-year-old a year ago and remaining on the hunt for defensive reinforcements since.
FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have also been put forward as potential suitors in the past, when it was believed representatives of the La Liga and Ligue 1 giants had reached out to Diop.
But claims Champions League Semi-Finalists PSG were willing to pay £50m never materialised.
Should Moyes look to sell Diop this summer?
Yes
No
Whether a bid from PSG, Barcelona, Manchester United or the two unnamed Premier League sides said to be interested comes our way this summer remains to be seen, though there is the potential Moyes and the board accept any suitable offer.
Given Moyes’ hope of reshaping the squad, the boss may see the lucrative funds Diop represents as an easy way to raise cash instead of waiting on sides to snap up the fodder lower down the pecking order.
But Moyes has also rarely showed a willingness to tackle Premier League games without Diop since returning to the London Stadium, having called on the former U21 international to start and play the full 90-minutes in all but the first two of his fixtures at the helm this term.
Despite being a centre-half, Diop also scored three of our 28 goals penned under Moyes in the top-flight, with his strikes against Everton and Brighton helping to draws while equalising the score in our 3-2 loss at Liverpool.
The towering 6 ft 4 colossus recorded the top-flight’s ninth-most clearances (164) by any player in 2019/20, too, along with the club’s fourth-most interceptions per game (1.47), blocked the third-most shots (0.66) and won the sixth-most aerial duels (2.47) but only ranked 17th for tackles (0.84) and 20th for ground duels won (1.34), per Sofa Score.
