West Ham would strike gold by reviving interest in this 26-year-old La Liga ace – only if Issa Diop chooses to exit

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West Ham Opinion: Why the Hammers should go for Ibrahim Amadou?

According to a report from The Telegraph, West Ham have rejected a £45million from Manchester United for their defender Issa Diop.

Manchester United are desperate to add a centre-back to their team this summer and Diop is the latest player they have been linked to.

The French defender had a great first season in the Premier League with West Ham and has caught the attention of United, who are rebuilding their squad under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a disappointing sixth-placed finish last season.

The Hammers don’t want to sell Diop, who arrived at the London stadium from Toulouse last summer, and are demanding £75million to ward off the Red Devils’ interest, the report adds. However, given United’s absolute necessity to sign a central defender, there is a chance of them forking out such a huge amount to prise the defender away to Old Trafford.

Ibrahim Amadou

Hence, Manuel Pellegrini would be wise to start plotting potential replacements for Diop, who is understood to be close to a call-up to the France squad. Given the current situation, West Ham should reignite their interest in Sevilla defender Ibrahim Amadou.

Back in January 2018, the Birmingham Mail reported that West Ham were interested in signing Ibrahim Amadou, who was then plying his trade for LOSC Lille. But a move didn’t materialise then and Amadou went onto join Sevilla last summer.

The French defender, 26, had an injury-hit debut campaign with Sevilla where he managed just 17 appearances in the La Liga. In all, he made 32 appearances and scored a goal. Amadou was mostly used in his preferred position—defensive midfield—but he is also adept at playing in central defence.

The 26-year-old is a versatile player, who is strong, powerful and aerially excellent with good technical abilities. A robust, hard-working and tenacious customer on the pitch, Amadou has the ability to control the game with his good range of passing and game-reading when deployed in the holding midfielder’s role.

As a centre-back, he uses his no-nonsense approach to keep things tight, which makes him a good fit for either role.

Ibrahim Amadou

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West Ham have already signed three players so far this summer as Pellegrini looks to break into the top six next season. And with Diop on the radar of Manchester United, the Hammers must think of potentially replacing him with Amadou.

Verdict

The addition of an experienced and dynamic defender like Amadou, who can add a little bit of freshness to the backline, could be exactly what Pellegrini’s side needs this summer.

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