Toulouse defender Issa Diop has agreed a deal with West Ham worth £42million in transfer fee and wages, according to Foot Mercato.
The French football site claim has finalised the terms of a five-year contract worth £67,500-a-week that will be supplemented by a £2.2million signing-on fee.
Foot Mercato report that Diop will earn £19.75million over the entirety of the contract, with West Ham also paying a transfer fee of £22million to his club Toulouse.
OPINION
This is an expensive deal by West Ham standards, with the fee the second most expensive in the club’s history following the £24million club-record capture of Marko Arnautovic last summer. What are the Hammers getting for their cash? A strapping centre-back who is a born leader and has the potential to develop into an outstanding centre-back. Capped by France at Under-23s level, he has long been earmarked as a star of the future and has proved his calibre with a few seasons in the Toulouse first team. Standing at 6ft 4in, Diop is an imposing figure who is dominant in the air and also swift across the ground. It is this physicality which should enable him to adapt fairly quickly to the unique demands of the Premier League. For combined costs of £42million, West Ham will be hoping they’re getting a potential star. All the evidence is that Diop can be that player.
