Report: Nice make bid for West Ham defender Issa Diop

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Nice have made a bid to take Issa Diop on loan from West Ham United, with The Sun on Sunday (3/1; page 57) reporting that the deal would have opened the door for a permanent summer switch.

Diop is one player David Moyes has reportedly made available this month. The 23-year-old has only made four Premier League appearances this season.

Loan signing Craig Dawson now appears to be ahead of the Frenchman in the pecking order at the London Stadium. And it appears that Nice have wasted little time in making a move at the start of this window.

According to The Sun on Sunday (3/1; page 57), the Ligue 1 side have offered to take Diop on loan for the rest of the campaign.

It is suggested that the move would become permanent if Nice qualify for next season’s Champions League.

However, Nice require a sensational run in the second-half of the campaign to make the top three. They are currently in the bottom-half of the table and 12 points off third.

So it would appear that West Ham would prefer a better offer for Diop.

As noted by BBC Sport, the Hammers spent £22 million to sign him from Toulouse. Meanwhile, Spotrac shows that he earns £67,000-a-week.

So you could understand why they may be wary of sanctioning a loan that looks unlikely to become a permanent move further down the line.

Having said that, they should not shut the door on all loan offers. If Diop impresses elsewhere, West Ham may be able to demand a much higher price in the summer.