West Ham United want £18m to sell Issa Diop to Fulham
West Ham want at least £18m to part ways with defender Issa Diop this summer, with Fulham strongly interested according to Claret & Hugh.
The French defender has dropped down to fifth-choice centre-back in the pecking order after the arrival of Moroccan international Nayef Aguerd this summer.
With one year remaining on his contract both parties are open to an exit this summer, but West Ham are demanding a fee of at least £18m to let him go after Fulham made a recent bid.
The Cottagers are said to have bid £12m plus £8m in add-ons according to the Daily Mail, but the Hammers are hopeful of getting at least £18m plus add-ons to take the fee to nearer £20m.
Lyon are also interested in a deal and West Ham are hopeful that they will enter the picture to start a bidding war to help the club get the highest fee possible.
Time to go
It’s the right time for Diop to leave the London Stadium with all factors included, but West Ham are also right to stand their ground and get his correct value.
At 25-years-old and with almost 100 Premier League appearances under his belt, Diop is worth far more than the £12m guaranteed fee that is currently on offer.
£20m seems like a fair starting place and the club have already moved down to £18m, and it’s up to Fulham to step up and make the deal work for everyone now.
After all the injuries in the 2021/22 season Moyes surely wouldn’t mind having an extra body at the club that he knows and can trust, so there’s always that possibility if a deal can’t be done.
For now though it does look like a deal will eventually be found and Diop will be leaving the club, and hopefully the funds can be reinvested into the squad for other positions.