Issa Diop West Ham United exit imminent as £17m move to Fulham edges closer
Issa Diop looks set to depart the London Stadium as West Ham and Fulham edge closer to agreeing on a deal for the French defender according to RMC Sport’s Loic Tanzi.
L’Equipe had reported on 28 June that Lyon were closing in on a deal for the defender.
However, Tanzi has suggested that Fulham should win the race for the 25-year-old and a deal could rise to a fee worth over £17million.
Writing on his personal Twitter Account on Thursday 7 July, Tanzi said: “OL target Issa Diop should join Fulham in the coming days.
“There are only a few details left for a transfer estimated at more than 20 million euros.”
Makes sense
Losing a 25-year-old defender to a Premier League rival never looks good, but in this case, it feels as if it’s the best option for all the parties concerned.
Diop only made 12 Premier League appearances in the 2021/22 season and looks to be well down the pecking order at the London Stadium at present.
With Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson clearly Moyes’ favourites, it was always going to be tough for the French defender to break into the first eleven.
Furthermore, the addition of Nayef Aguerd means that Diop would be even further down in Moyes’ plans for the upcoming season.
The departure of Diop makes sense for Moyes as it frees up some of the wage budget for the West Ham boss to utilise elsewhere.
Moyes will need to wheel and deal at times this summer and that will involve moving out fringe players to make room for new arrivals.
It’s a shame it hasn’t worked out for Diop, but this move makes sense for everyone involved.