Hammers midfielder’s contract talks stall alerting Arsenal

It seems to us here at the Football Transfer Tavern that contract talks these days can never run smoothly and according to the Daily Mail, West Ham are about to fend off interest in Mohamed Diame from a host of clubs.

The player has attracted interest from both Chelsea and Arsenal – who are Premier League heavyweights and thus the contract negotiations with the player have become decidedly more complicated. Sam Allardyce is keen to secure the player on a new deal but now doubts have formed in Diame’s mind.

The midfielder currently has a £3.5 million release clause in his deal and this could well be triggered by Arsene Wenger. The money is likely to be in his price range and given that Mikel Arteta is thought to be out for at least three weeks, cover is needed and fast.

David Gold was confident about keeping the player however, claiming that: “We are talking to the player and are improving his deal. I would be very confident that he will remain our player. I believe at this stage this will be nothing more than agent talk ahead of the transfer window opening.”

Diame only joined the Hammers from Wigan Athletic in the summer has impressed onlookers with his tireless energy in the box-to-box midfield role.

Will he stay or will he go? Vote in our polls below.