Yesterday the Daily Express claimed that Chelsea had made Hammer Issa Diop their top transfer target with an imminent £40m bid lined up now that the transfer ban had been lifted. The article labelled an Exclusive by journalist Tony Banks claims that Diop also remains a target for Spurs.
Earlier this week Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol had teased that a football agent had told him that Chelsea were eyeing a deal for a Premier League rival’s centre-back, but he refused to confirm the identity of the player.
Following the Daily Express report yesterday, Solhekol revealed the player in question was Diop live on air.
“Issa Diop, that was the player that was mentioned to me on Monday,” he said on the Sky Sports Transfer Show.
“I’ve made a few more phone calls today, I’m being told that Issa Diop, we know what a great impact he had at West Ham United in his first season after he moved from Toulouse.
“Jose Mourinho spoke so highly of him after they beat Manchester United when Mourinho was manager.
“I’m being told today that it’s not a case of West Ham wanting to sell him, but if a big bid was made for him, every player has his price.
“That price would be about £50million, more than £50m and there is the potential for West Ham to sell him.
“That was the player we were talking about.”