Brentford ‘close in on’ £40m Diouf signing | OneFootball

Brentford are close to signing West Ham United left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf in a £40m deal, including a reported £36m up front and a five-year contract.

The Athletic reports that Brentford have made the strongest push for the 21-year-old, who is keen to join, amid interest from three Premier League clubs this summer.

West Ham would make a significant profit after paying £19m to sign him from Slavia Prague last summer. He delivered five assists last term in a side that finished 18th.

He represented Senegal at this year’s World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations. After starting the first two games of the campaign, he missed the last two matchday squads.

His arrival would be Brentford’s fifth of the summer, following Mamadou Sangare, Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson, with combined fees of around £70m.

Keane Lewis-Potter has been Keith Andrews’ first-choice at left-back, ending 2025-26 there and playing the role throughout pre-season. He started the Premier League opener and scored in a 3-0 win.

Lewis-Potter is a winger by trade and could revert to attack if Diouf signs. Andrews also has Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey, the latter likely to cover Michael Kayode. Both have had recent injuries.

Diouf would likely be first-choice at left-back, with Henry covering. His crossing could add another dimension to Andrews’ play and would suit last term’s top scorer Igor Thiago.

Source: Hounslow Herald

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”