Diafra Sakho is primed to complete a £15m move from West Ham United to West Bromwich Albion that will finally allow Saido Berahino to depart The Hawthorns. Berahino, who has wanted to leave West Brom since the summer of last year, is expected to join Stoke City or Crystal Palace.
Sakho moved to West Ham from Metz in a £3.5m deal two years ago and he has enjoyed patches of fine form – most notably immediately after his arrival, when he scored in each of his first seven starts. The Senegal striker has also endured injuries and was out of favour at times last season.
He made it clear he wanted to leave West Ham last month and is poised to get his wish, with the fee a record for West Bromwich. The club’s highest outlay was the £12m that they spent on the striker Salomón Rondón from Zenit St Petersburg.
Berahino was denied a move to Tottenham last summer, having handed in a transfer request, and he endured a testing season. Spurs were interested in taking him at the end of it only to opt for Vincent Janssen from AZ Alkmaar. Stoke and Palace have been left to fight it out for a striker who has entered the final year of his contract.
West Bromwich have already signed the winger Matt Phillips this summer for £6m from Queens Park Rangers while West Ham have a serious interest in Swansea City’s £20m-rated striker André Ayew.
