Liverpool have had a long-held interest in West Ham defender Issa Diop, as reported by Foot Mercato.
The 24-year-old, who signed for the London club in 2018, is one of several names to have been linked with an Anfield switch, in light of the Reds’ mounting injury crisis in defence.
“The West Ham defender has been followed by the Reds for several seasons already,” Santi Aouna and Dahbia Hattabi wrote of the centre-half. “If an arrival for this winter remains complicated, a last minute transfer is not impossible, especially since the Hammers would not necessarily be against a departure.”
It should be noted that the quote was sourced via Google Translate, though the general message of our interest in Diop is clear.
Given that the Frenchman has endured a fall from grace in recent times, being utilised on only four separate occasions in the league this term, it’s a move that could make a certain amount of sense for the Reds.
Nonetheless, even being the Hammers’ fourth-choice centre-back, the club would be within their rights to demand a larger transfer fee than Liverpool would be potentially prepared to cover, considering his contract doesn’t expire until the summer of 2023.
Our defensive injury woes are known to all, which will likely only serve to further inflate the asking price for the former Toulouse man.
Recent reports have suggested that West Ham would be open to loaning Diop, but given how close we are in the table to each other, one could understand David Moyes’ reluctance to sanction such an arrangement.
As things stand, Shkodran Mustafi and Aaron Long appear to be far more viable targets for Jurgen Klopp’s side, as we look to reinforce our fragile defence with a signing before the window closes on Monday.
Wow on and on it goes. As the song said – on the road to nowhere !