Manchester United are targeting West Ham’s Issa Diop - but could be forced to pay as much as £75million to prise him away from the London Stadium.
The defiant Hammers are insistent their 22-year-old star defender is not for sale with Manuel Pellegrini desperate to keep him after a highly promising first season at the club.
Although an unlikely swap bid for United’s France winger Anthony Martial has been mooted - and predictably rejected - it is understood West Ham have only done so to indicate their unwillingness to sell Diop.
The player himself has not put any pressure on the club to force the move and revealed in an exclusive interview last season that he is keen to build on his debut campaign in east London.
It would take an exorbitant offer, in the region of the £75million paid by Liverpool for Virgil van Dijk, to convince West Ham to sell.
That fee would represent more than three times the club-record £22million paid to sign Diop from his boyhood club Toulouse last summer.
Speaking to MirrorFootball in May about his relationship with the Irons, Diop said: “West Ham is like a family. They have a lot of fans and they love the club.
“They don’t necessarily want the best players but they want a good guy. Players who want to play for the shirt. Players willing to give everything on the pitch.”
After West Ham pulled off a stunning 3-1 win over Jose Mourinho’s United last September. The former Old Trafford boss congratulated not only Diop for his outstanding performance but also the scout who alerted West Ham to his availability.
United are looking to rip up their ailing defence after a poor campaign last season and are expected to return with a fresh bid for Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka after having a structured £50million offer rejected.
