Despite paying £22m for Issa Diop in June, Premier League outfit West Ham United are reportedly contending with interest from PSG already.
Issa Diop may believe that he hasn’t been up to scratch so far in a West Ham shirt but the general consensus is that the French centre-back has been rather impressive since he moved to the London Stadium.
The Hammers paid £22 million to sign the highly-rated defender, who was the captain of Toulouse at the age of just 21, and Diop has wasted little time in establishing himself as a regular starter under Manuel Pellegrini.
And, blessed with almost limitless potential, The Mail reports that Paris Saint-Germain are already drawing up plans to bring the youngster back to France in 2019. It is understood that PSG have monitored Diop for some time and could be willing to pay up to £50 million.
Now, West Ham hold all the cards given that they tied the France U21 international down to a five-year contract as recently as June. But the London club cannot afford to be complacent.
Diop will have moved to West Ham hoping to hone his talents and build his reputation as one of the most promising young defenders in European football. But performances like the 4-0 capitulation at home to Manchester City on Saturday will hardly do the defender’s status much good.
West Ham have endured a mixed season since Manuel Pellegrini took charge and, should they finish in the lower regions of the Premier League, you could hardly blame Diop from questioning the club’s direction. And PSG would turn the head of most young players, particularly a young Frenchman like the former Toulouse captain.
West Ham fans will point out that the club have shown some much needed ambition after a couple of underwhelming transfer windows, having spent over £100 million on new players last summer including Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko and Lukasz Fabianski.
But all this will mean nothing if The Hammers continue to loiter around the lower regions of the Premier League while falling apart against top opposition like Manchester City and Liverpool, who also beat Pellegrini’s side 4-0 this season.
Players like Diop and Anderson have the talent and potential to play for one of the top six clubs in the near future. So like Carlos Tevez, Dimitri Payet and co before them, few could criticise West Ham’s biggest talents if their heads were turned if the club fails to progress as planned.
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