Producing great displays at Toulouse for a couple of years, Issa Diop was targeted by West Ham United in 2018 and subsequently signed for £22.5m.
Since then, the Frenchman has made 118 appearances for the Hammers, scored eight goals and assisted another three, earning rave reviews in his first couple of years, impressing the likes of José Mourinho in the process.
However, under David Moyes, things have changed for the West Ham defender, who is struggling for regular game time this season, playing just 11 times in the Premier League to date.
The 25-year-old’s contract with the Hammers expires in 2023, meaning this summer could be the club’s last chance to make some money from a transfer, and Lyon in France are interested.
This comes from L’Equipe, who explain the Ligue 1 side ‘want to sign’ the West Ham centre-back this summer, keen to put him alongside their starlet Castello Lukeba next season.
Jason Denayer is expected to leave this summer, while Jerome Boateng could also be on his way out, making room for Diop in the process.
Looking for a ‘powerful’ player with experience, who could ‘integrate quickly’, Lyon have turned their attention to the West Ham man ‘as a priority’.
The funny thing in all this is there’s a good chance they will face him soon in the Europa League, giving them a chance to look at him up close, if there’s even a need to do that.
With his situation at London Stadium precarious, Lyon are hoping to ‘give him the possibility to step back into the light’, which would do him the world of good, also earning West Ham a bit of money in the process.
