One of the big stories for a few days in West Ham’s search for a new striker was their interest in Boulaye Dia.
The Stade de Reims goalscorer was the subject of an offer from the Hammers, but once that was rejected, they seemed reluctant to return for more due to the Ligue 1 club’s asking price.
Still relatively unproven despite enjoying a great season with the French side, the forward was valued at around €15m, which West Ham weren’t prepared to pay.
And it appears that, as things stand, they won’t make a last minute bid.
That’s what Reims’ manager David Guion hinted at on Monday when speaking to Téléfoot Chaîne.
❤️ AU COEUR DES CLUBS [#MERCATO]
🎙️ "On sent un garçon complètement investi dans le projet du @StadeDeReims"
🙌 Pour le coach David #Guion, il y a de "bons signaux" pour voir Boulaye Dia finir la saison avec le club champenois#TelefootLaChaine pic.twitter.com/Q4EDSpJAvZ — TELEFOOT LA CHAINE DU FOOT (@telefoot_chaine) February 1, 2021
He said: “When you see the way Boulaye is at the moment, how he lives in the group, he’s happy, he’s enjoying himself on the pitch, he performs. He’s giving us good signals, you can feel he’s completely invested in the club’s project, so I’m really happy to be keeping him until the end of the season.”
Asked if that was official, as in Dia would definitely not leave, the manager was reluctant to confirm it 100%, however.
He added: “Listen, we’re going to wait a few more hours, because you never know. Things go very quickly in football and it can be surprising sometimes, but as I said, there’s good signals.”
Dia has scored 12 goals in 20 appearances for the Ligue 1 side this season in the league, helping them into 12th for the time being, with 22 games played so far.
