West Ham tabled a bid for Real Betis defender Aissa Mandi in the summer before going on to sign Issa Diop instead, according to ABC Sevilla.
The Spanish outlet claim that the Hammers offered between 12 to 15 million euros (£10.7million to £13.4million) for the centre-back only for the La Liga side to respond by referring to the 30 million euros (£26.9million) release clause in his contract.
ABC Sevilla report that after Manuel Pellegrini’s side were unsuccessful with their eight-figure offer they went on to sign Diop from Toulouse.
OPINION
Given that Diop has looked like one of the Hammers’ better recruits so far as he shone against Wolves, the club missing out on Mandi may have been a blessing. The 6ft tall enforcer (Source: Transfermarkt) has started his 2018/19 campaign strongly for Real Betis and is a talented player but he would have cost more than Diop. The Hammers ended up paying £22million (Source: BBC) to sign the 21-year-old and that could end up being fantastic deal for the club if he continues to showcase his talents and fulfil his potential at the London Stadium. Mandi, 26, would have no doubt been worth the Hammers increasing their offer to match his £26.9million price tag but clearly the London club thought otherwise. According to ABC Sevilla, Real Betis are set to try and renew their enforcer’s contract so it does mean that it’s likely Mandi won’t be seen in a Hammers shirt anytime soon despite the Premier League side clearly having an interest in his services in the summer.
