West Ham yet to receive bid from Newcastle for Issa Diop – Jason Burt
West Ham have not received a bid from Newcastle United for defender Issa Diop to leave the club this month, according to Telegraph journalist Jason Burt.
Diop has been linked with a move to St James’ Park for much of the winter window [L’Equipe], with Newcastle desperate to bolster their defensive options.
But Diop has been a regular this season at the back for David Moyes’ side after Angelo Ogbonna suffered a season-ending knee injury and Kurt Zouma missed a chunk of the season too.
With Zouma fit once again, rumours began to swirl again about the French defender’s future but Burt sent out a tweet on Thursday night [Jan 27] that confirmed no bid had been made.
He simply tweeted from his personal account, “No offer from Newcastle United for West Ham centre-half Issa Diop.”
No surprise
Considering the state of West Ham’s squad right now, it’s not a shock in the slightest that Diop is nowhere near the exit.
Newcastle probably are interested in the 23-year-old, who was once described as a ‘monster’ by Jose Mourinho, but West Ham aren’t in a position where they need to weaken themselves.
They’re currently pushing for a top four place and outside of him, their only centre-back options are Craig Dawson and Zouma.
West Ham have been linked with bringing a central defender in to the club this month, so one leaving seems hugely unlikely for the mid-season.
As it stands, there’s no real news on that front and as far as the Hammers are concerned that means good news, because it means the squad isn’t getting weaker at least.
In other West Ham news, West Ham bid to sign ‘excellent’ Premier League star ‘more likely’ for summer – report