"Don't think West Ham will stand in his way" – Journo hints £22m Pellegrini signing will leave

West Ham would be open to letting Issa Diop leave the club this summer, according to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown.

The central defender has made more than 100 appearances for the Hammers since joining in a £22m deal four years ago, but he’s slipped down the pecking order over the last two seasons.

Diop was first choice at the London Stadium for the majority of his first two campaigns with the Irons, but the arrivals of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma have seen his first-team chances diminish.

As a result, the 25-year-old has started just 25 of the last 76 Premier League games, which led to doubts over his future back in January.

The Sun reported that Newcastle were lining up a late move for Diop, who had been demoted to nothing more than a squad player.

Newcastle ended up signing Dan Burn late in the window, which meant Diop stayed with the Hammers.

But with the defender now edging towards the end of his contract, which has just 12 months left on it, Brown believes that he could finally leave the capital side when the window reopens.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “He’s still ambitious and not that old relatively speaking. I think he’s definitely going to look at the market and see what comes up for him and I don’t think West Ham will stand in his way if he wants to go.”

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With more than 200 club appearances under his belt, it’s little surprise that while Diop has struggled in recent years, he’s still attracting interest from some top European clubs.

According to reports in Italy, Lazio, who missed out on qualifying for the Champions League by just six points, are targeting a move for the centre-back, who West Ham would be