West Ham: £19million Payet bid rejected but Chelsea interested; Dutchman lined-up as replacement

Fri 13 January 2017 13:00, UK

claim that after West Ham United turned down a £19 million bid from Dimitri Payet’s former club Marseille, the Frenchman has demanded an exit and is currently no longer playing or training with the first team. Manager Slaven Bilic revealed to the press:

“We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Dimitri Payet does not want to play for us. We are not going to sell him. I spoke to the chairman and this is not a money issue. We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay. He is refusing to play for us. I have a team to manage. He’s probably been tapped up. Until he changes his attitude and shows the commitment the club have shown him, he is out of the team. We had a conversation a couple of days ago but this began 10 days or so ago when the window opens. I feel angry. We gave him everything. I feel let down, angry, disappointed. I understand the players now are being tapped up. The team gave him everything.”

And keeping hold of him could be about to get a whole lot harder as the report that Chelsea are considering a move for the attacking midfielder with Antonio Conte mulling over whether he is an option as an alternative to the likes of Arturo Vidal as he seeks to add depth to his midfield and attack. However, the Hammers would be hard negotiators even if the Blues do make a bid for him.

The believe that the club have already targeted a replacement for Payet though, and could launch a move for Manchester United reject Memphis Depay to take his place. The Dutchman is out of favour under Jose Mourinho and is said to be available for £15 million, which could be a bargain if the Hammers can get him back to the form he showed at PSV Eindhoven which earned him his big money move to the Premier League.

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West Ham: £19million Payet bid rejected but Chelsea interested; Dutchman lined-up as replacement