West Ham have had an offer knocked back for Slavia Prague wingback El Hadji Malick Diouf, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Writing on his X account, Romano said that the Hammers tabled a bid in the region of €20m (£17m) for the 20-year-old but his club are holding out for more.
Diouf does have plenty of other suitors, so there is a chance that he will be the subject of other offers over the coming days.
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The Senegalese international only moved from Tromso to the Czech Republic in January last year for €2.5m.
Slavia Prague’s president has made his stance clear on Diouf
Speaking back in January when Crystal Palace reportedly had two bids rejected for the young defender, club president Jaroslav Tvrdik also revealed that other Premier League teams were hoping to secure his services, and he would only let him leave for the right club:
“If Liverpool and Chelsea, who were also interested in him, had come with an offer of around €17m-€18m, I would have hesitated to approach it differently from the perspective of promoting the club or the player’s interest.”
“If Chelsea comes, we wouldn’t keep anyone. Nothing will change; it’s just not possible objectively. One has to admit that the Czech league and Slavia have some limits. Even PSG, when it comes to breaking the bank, won’t keep their player and he’ll go to Real Madrid. We’re part of a football chain and we’re not at the top of it.”
West Ham DO have money to spend
Numerous sources close to the Hammers have reiterated time and time again that Graham Potter’s side would need to sell before they buy this summer. Those claims contradicted what trusted journalist David Ornstein said about the matter.
This £17m offer for Diouf does suggest that Ornstein was correct all along. It will be interesting to see whether they go back in for the Slavia Prague left wingback or if they move on to other targets.
In other news, West Ham have withdrawn their interest in a top striker target