West Ham United defender Issa Diop is understood to be open to a move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer if José Mourinho's side can agree a deal with the Hammers.
Mourinho, whose admiration of Diop has been clear since he heaped praise on the Frenchman back in 2018, is believed to have made the 23-year-old one of his 'priority targets' for the summer as he looks to rejuvenate his ageing defence.
"Congratulations to the scout that found Diop." ?
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"McTominay was our best centre-back."
Jose Mourinho making his recruitment frustrations clear... pic.twitter.com/ZMMmNzKYTV
Toby Alderweireld has recently turned 31, while 33-year-old Jan Vertonghen is expected to leave the club this summer when his contract expires. As a result, Mourinho is looking to the future and trying to find some younger options for his defence.
According to Foot Mercato, Mourinho's focus has been on Diop for a while now, and the West Ham man 'would agree' with making the move.
Diop, who is said to be valued at around €60m, is believed to have spoken with Serge Aurier about a potential move to Spurs, and it looks like the right-back's words were enough to convince Diop to consider heading to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
West Ham would likely be reluctant to part ways with one of their stars, but their negotiating power would take a huge hit if they are relegated from the Premier League.
The Hammers currently sit in 16th, but they are level on points with Bournemouth in 18th, so their future is far from certain. A weighted points-per-game system, which has been suggested as a potential way to decide the remainder of the season, would actually see them relegated.
Alongside Diop, Mourinho is also thought to be keen on finding new options at both left-back and right-back.
On the left, Leicester City's Ben Chilwell is named as Mourinho's preferred target, but any move would likely cost close to the £80m mark and therefore looks pretty unlikely. After all, we all know just how much Spurs chairman Daniel Levy loves spending money.
As for right-backs, there are several names under consideration. Paris Saint-Germain's Thomas Meunier, who will be a free agent this summer, is mentioned as a potential option, but Mourinho has also discussed Norwich City's Max Aarons and Real Betis' Emerson, the latter of whom is confusingly co-owned by Barcelona.
Source : 90min