**West Ham** are expected to tie up a deal for Slavia Prague defender El Hadji Malick Diouf in the coming days.
The Hammers’ interest in the 20-year-old Senegalese left wing-back was first revealed by ExWHUEmployee and later backed up by Fabrizio Romano, but the move appeared to stall over the weekend.
There has been some mixed messaging from the Czech side. Slavia Prague president Pavel Tykač initially claimed he expected Diouf to leave, only to later deny that West Ham had submitted the €20m bid reported by Romano.
However, West Ham have openly admitted interest in the player, and it’s understood that personal terms have already been agreed with Diouf’s representatives.
Diouf is viewed as a direct replacement for Emerson, who is expected to leave the club this month. The 30-year-old Italy international has attracted strong interest from clubs in Spain, Italy and Turkey.
A transfer insider recently told [C&H](https://www.claretandhugh.info/category/news/): “He’s spoilt for choice.”
With Graham Potter eager to strengthen the left side of his defence, Diouf’s arrival now looks like a matter of when, not if.