West Ham must ready £6m Man Utd transfer approach if Brentford seal Diouf deal | OneFootball

West Ham have to pursue a deal for Manchester United's Harry Amass if El Hadji Malick Diouf is sold

West Ham are aiming to earn promotion back to the Premier League next season after an 18th place finish in 2025/26.

The Hammers are back in the Championship for the first time since 2012, and will want to make quick work of returning to the top flight.

Nuno Espírito Santo has remained in charge over the summer, and he is now looking to build a squad capable of winning the title, which he achieved previously with Wolves in 2018.

The London outfit have had a relatively quiet summer transfer window though, having added Joel Veltman and Keiber Lamadrid, with further additions expected between now and the September 1 deadline.

West Ham have already lost key players like Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes, and more could yet depart in the final weeks of the window, which would give Nuno a bit of a fresher lok to his squad.

It’s been reported by Teamtalk that defender El Hadji Malick Diouf is set to be the subject of a £40 million bid from Brentford, which could trigger his exit from the London Stadium.

West Ham must target obvious El Hadji Malick Diouf replacement at Man United

West Ham will be tempted by an offer for Diouf worth that much, even with the money they’ve already generated from other player sales, and the Hammers have the opportunity to snatch an obvious replacement if they do decide to cash in.

It was reported earlier this summer that Manchester United have set an asking price of £6 million for their young talent Harry Amass.

The left-back struggled with injury issues in the second half of last season, having made just one appearance for Norwich City before his season was cut short, but his performances for Sheffield Wednesday in the first half showed his potential.

He twice won the player of the month award for the Owls, who were admittedly rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

The defender is still only 19, and has already put up impressive numbers in the second tier in this early stage of his career.

Amass showed that not only is he defensively solid, but that he can get forward and contribute in the final third, making him well suited to Espírito Santo’s style of play for that position.

Harry Amass would be a suitable replacement to El Hadji Malick Diouf at West Ham

Action Images

Diouf contributed five assists for the Hammers in the Premier League, and created 0.96 chances per 90 (all stats from Fotmob).

He had 0.76 successful dribbles from left-back each game, while still making 6.84 defensive contributions, including 1.46 tackles and 1.10 interceptions.

Amass was playing at a lower level in the Championship, but he managed 1.63 successful dribbles per 90, while creating 0.57 chances in a team that lacked competitiveness.

And on the defensive side of things, Amass racked up 7.32 defensive contributions per match, including 3.11 tackles and 1.24 interceptions per 90.

While the injury issues will give West Ham some concerns, the prospect of signing someone with his potential for £6 million is one that they absolutely must consider if Diouf is sold.

The defender could be worth a lot more than that in the years to come if he can develop and grow at the London Stadium.

And spending £6 million to replace a £40 million sale will leave West Ham with resources to invest in other areas of the squad, such as in attack or midfield, where they have been linked with other options like Troy Parrott and Jordan James.