Manchester United Transfer News: West Ham willing to sell £60 million French defender but demand a player in return
What's the story?
Manchester United are in the hunt for new central defenders this transfer window. The Red Devils have been linked to West Ham's 22-year-old centre-back Issa Diop in the past couple of days.
The Hammers value the player at £60 million but want a Manchester United player as a part of any deal involving the French defender.
In case you didn't know...
West Ham signed Issa Diop from Ligue 1 side Toulouse for £22 million last summer. He was quietly impressive in his debut season, averaging 2.1 tackles and 1.9 interceptions in the 33 games he featured in the Premier League.
Manchester United, on the other hand, are in dire need of a commanding centre-back to strengthen their shaky defense. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones struggled for form throughout the campaign, while Eric Bailly endured another injury-plagued season. Victor Lindelof and left-back Luke Shaw were United's best defenders, and they are expected to be the only ones who retain their place in the back line.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made signing a right centre-back and a right-back his top priority, with the club also making advances for Crystal Palace's right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The heart of the matter
According to the reliable Sky Sports, there have already been discussions over a £45 million plus player bid between the two clubs.
West Ham are demanding a particular, albeit yet unnamed player from the Red Devils, but the Old Trafford faithful aren't willing to part ways with the player.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Barcelona are also reportedly interested in Diop, who is in line to make his France first-team debut soon. Diop is believed to be happy at the London Stadium but hopes to play in the Champions League soon. West Ham are in no hurry to sell, as the player has 4 years left on his contract.
What's next?
It will be interesting to see how this story develops, especially if Barcelona and PSG step up their interests. Interestingly, the same three clubs are also vying for the signature of Ajax centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.