West Ham are ready to sanction the £9million sale of striker Diafra Sakho to Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, according to Sun Football.
What’s the story?
Diafra Sakho’s West Ham career looks to be coming to an end as West Ham prepare to sell him back to France for a £5m profit, just three years after signing him from Metz for £4m.
The Senegal international enjoyed a successful debut season under Sam Allardyce, netting 12 goals in 26 first team appearances, but has since endured a torrid time in East London thanks to a string of injuries that have limited his playing time to just eight first team outings since the beginning of last season.
It is being reported that West Ham have accepted Renne’s £9m bid and have given Sakho the green light to start discussing personal terms.
The 27-year-old has fallen out of favour with Hammers boss Slaven Bilic and a move could help him earn a recall to the Senegal national team.
Sakho has scored 21 goals in 58 first team appearances for the Hammers, his last goal coming in their 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Cheltenham Town last week.
Should West Ham sell?
Given the Hammers’ torrid start to the season it seems inconceivable that they’d let a player leave.
However, in a very similar position as Andy Carroll at London Stadium, Sakho’s fitness is unreliable and the chance to make a healthy profit on a striker who is not guaranteed to be available for selection at all times will be too good to turn down for West Ham.
On the flip side, West Ham aren’t exactly leaving themselves much time to replace him. The summer arrival of Javier Hernandez boosted Bilic’s strike options and Sakho’s return to fitness had given the club a much needed lift in terms of goal scoring potential, but that will be significantly reduced if Sakho leaves.
It means Bilic will only have Hernandez and a half-fit Andy Carroll as natural strikers amongst his first team squad, although the likes of Andre Ayew, Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio can assist up front when needed.
Hammers fans will be hoping the club have a replacement up their sleeve before Thursday’s 11pm deadline but given David Gold and David Sullivan’s track record in recent transfer windows, they shouldn’t hold their breath.
