The current crop of players at The London Stadium are incredibly talented. Loads of the Hammers will understand that they have some very impressive and highly valued players in their squad, and with top players comes huge money offers from big clubs.
That’s the news that we’ve got today. Two of the Premier League’s ‘big six’ are after Issa Diop, and whilst the Hammers have previously had to fend off interest from Manchester United for their French defender (Sky Sports), this time they face the task of keeping Diop from joining Chelsea or Tottenham.
The two London clubs are linked with a move for the 23-year-old by The Express, who report that Chelsea are desperate to bring in the Hammers defender and are willing to part with £40m for him now that their transfer ban has been cut short, whilst Tottenham are also looking for a centre-back as Jan Vertonghen is stalling on a new deal.
Whilst Chelsea are supposedly willing to splash £40m on the defender, it’s claimed that the Hammers value their man at £50m upwards, so for Chelsea or Tottenham to prise the young defender from The London Stadium, a lot will have to happen between now and the end of January.
Ultimately, Diop is one of the best young defenders at both West Ham and in the Premier League. A senior French call-up looks inevitable given the fact that the 23-year-old has been capped six times at U21 level and has already racked up over 130 top-flight appearances across England and France (Transfermarkt).
Who is West Ham's best centre-back?
Angelo Ogbonna!
Issa Diop!
Fabian Balbuena
The Hammers simply have to hold onto Diop until at least the summer, letting one of their top players leave mid-season would be incredibly naive, and whilst there’s no doubt that Diop could pocket the Irons a pretty penny, it’s simply not worth letting him go now.
