Tottenham Hotspur are understood to hold a keen interest in signing West Ham United defender Issa Diop but they are unlikely to meet the Hammers’ £52m asking price, Football Insider claims.
The Frenchman is currently in his second season with the Hammers since his £22m move from Toulouse and he has already made 64 appearances for the club across all competitions.
A recent report claimed that Spurs have been in constant contact with the representative of Diop and they are keen on luring him to the club during the next transfer window.
However, Football Insider reports that the north London giants are unlikely to meet the £52m price tag on the player’s head and they could be prepared to look elsewhere to bolster the heart of the defence.
Jose Mourinho currently has six central defensive options in Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen, Japhet Tanganga, Juan Foyth and Eric Dier in the first-team squad.
Vertonghen, though, could be heading through the exit door when his contract expires during the summer while Foyth may follow suit, having failed to even make the playing squad under Mourinho.
Elsewhere, the Portuguese has played Tanganga more in the full-back positions than in his preferred central defensive role and the same could become a recurring trend for next season.
As a result, the club are on the search for a young centre-back with the ‘best years ahead of him’ but Diop does not appear as an option, particularly with the financial impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mourinho remains a huge admirer of Diop, who he had previously described as a ‘monster‘ but Spurs are quite clear that they won’t spent more than £50m on any player this summer.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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