West Ham defender Issa Diop top priority for Lyon
Lyon, who lost to West Ham in the Europa League, have reportedly set their sight on signing Issa Diop in the summer.
According to L’Equipe, Diop is not in David Moyes’ first-team plans, and they believe it won’t be difficult to lure him to the French club.
The report claims that the French club have already met with the player’s agent this week, and that they have accelerated their plans to sign him in the summer.
Diop has a contract at the club till 2023, and Lyon are hoping to secure him for less than £8.3 million, which is a bargain really for a player of his calibre.
Interesting situation
It’s an interesting situation. Diop has made 12 appearances in the Premier League and 25 appearances across all competitions this season.
The French defender has struggled to cement his starting position in the side. He played alongside Craig Dawson regularly when Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna both got injured.
Diop is a fantastic player, no doubt, but consistency is the only demon that has prevented him from becoming a key figure under Moyes.
With Zouma now injured, the door has been left open for the centre-back to show his quality and force West Ham into offering him a new deal.
Having said that, the Hammers need to sign a new defender in the summer, irrespective of whether he stays or goes.
Ogbonna is set to return from injury next season but the club should look to add a quality young defender who can be his long-term replacement at the club.
Diop was brilliant against Lyon in the last game, and he is likely to start against Burnley as well on Sunday.
In other West Ham news, Declan Rice has taken aim at Lyon’s Twitter admin.
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