West Ham United are reportedly interested in Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby as David Moyes continues to scour for reinforcements at the back.
According to a report from 90min.com, West Ham United are admirers of Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby as they scour the transfer market for a new centre-half to bolster their backline this summer.
Diakhaby came through the ranks at French Ligue 1 club Olympique Lyon. Having made rapid progress, the 24-year-old went on to make 55 first-team appearances for Les Gones before arriving at Valencia in the summer of 2018. Since signing for Los Che, the Frenchman has been pretty much a regular in the side, featuring 95 times in all competitions, scoring four goals.
Standing at 1.92m, Diakhaby is an imposing presence at the back and carries a threat in the opposition box as well, while he has the physical traits needed to excel in English football. This has seemingly put him on the radars of West Ham United, who are in a desperate hunt for new central defenders this summer.
It has been a frustrating sort of summer window for the east London outfit, who have been able to add just Alphonse Areola (on loan from PSG) to the squad thus far. A new centre-back is a priority for the Hammers, and understandably so, considering that they are lacking an ideal partner of Issa Diop at the back.
While Craig Dawson has arrived on a permanent basis, he is into his thirties and hardly represents a long-term investment. Angelo Ogbonna, too, is well into his thirties and has had injury troubles since pre-season. So, it becomes very much imperative that West Ham bring in another defender before the transfer window closes in over a week.
A number of names such as Duje Caleta-Car of Olympique Marseille, Rennes’ Moroccan defender Nayef Aguerd and Chelsea’s French centre-back Kurt Zouma have all been linked, but there has been little to no progress made on any front. Now, Diakhaby too has emerged as an option, with the report claiming that the Frenchman is someone that West Ham admire.
The 24-year-old is contracted with Valencia till the summer of 2023. However, with the La Liga outfit struggling financially, there may be scope for West Ham to swoop in with an offer and snap him up. It now remains to be seen whether the Hammers decide to go down this road or move on alternate targets. But with little time left in the transfer window, they must need to step up and do so quickly.
