West Ham United are reportedly keen on Pepe Cheikh Diop.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, West Ham United have registered their interest in signing Lyon midfielder Pape Cheikh Diop.
It’s claimed that West Ham have an offer on the table for Diop, which would involve Lyon terminating his loan spell at Celta Vigo to then send him on to West Ham.
The Hammers would have a purchase option in the loan deal, which would likely be worth a similar amount to the purchase option Celta hold; €14million (£11.8million).
It does seem a little complicated to get him out of Celta and then onto West Ham, but he appears to be a name on David Moyes’ wish list in the final week of the transfer window.
The 22-year-old came through the Celta ranks having move to Spain from Senegal at a young age, and his potential earned him a 2017 move to Lyon.
Having failed to really feature much for Lyon, he was sent back on loan to Celta, but the story has been the same back in Galicia, making just five league starts.
That may just tempt Diop into leaving Celta for a crack at Premier League football, but what kind of player would West Ham be getting?
The former Spain under-21 international is at his best as a box-to-box midfielder, using his skill and ability on the ball to drive through midfield and past players to open up the game.
He can also win the ball back in front of his back four, and shows a decent range of passing, meaning he could provide a promising option alongside Declan Rice and Mark Noble in midfield, especially after Carlos Sanchez flopped against West Brom.
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