Report: West Ham identify £75m-rated star’s replacement

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West Ham United have apparently sought out a replacement for Issa Diop in case the Frenchman leaves the club this summer.

The £22 million signing from Toulouse (BBC Sport) has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United, with the Red Devils having reportedly tabled an offer of £40 million plus a player.

West Ham rejected that offer, and duly slapped a whopping £75 million price tag on the central defender (The Telegraph).

Clearly the Hammers don’t want to see the 22-year-old leave them so soon after signing, and it would be a major surprise if United shelled out such a fee.

West Ham will surely be confident of keeping Diop, but they have identified a possible replacement for the star just in case.

Nice-Matin report that Manuel Pellegrini could move for Nice’s Malang Sarr should the unthinkable happen.

TBR’s view

The 20-year-old was a mainstay in one of the best defences in Ligue 1 last term.

In total he made 38 appearances for the club and drew praise for his consistency at the back.

Having debuted in 2016, the composed and versatile Sarr has been developing nicely for Nice and has represented France at all youth levels – even captaining the U18s in 2016 at the Limoges tournament.

He is one of the better young prospects currently in the top flight, and West Ham wouldn’t be going far wrong if they found themselves having to replace Diop.