West Ham starlet Declan Rice wanted by Crystal Palace and Bournemouth after contract stand-off
The arrival of France Under-21s defender Issa Diop is likely to push the talented Irish teen down the pecking order
CRYSTAL PALACE and Bournemouth are mulling bids for Declan Rice after his contract stand-off with West Ham.
The arrival of France Under-21s defender Issa Diop is likely to push the talented Irish teen down the pecking order.
The 19-year-old will not be an automatic starter under new boss Manuel Pellegrini, who will likely bring in more players this summer.
Diop joined West Ham for a club-record deal earlier in the week, after becoming a star in Ligue 1 over the past season.
He said: "I am very happy to sign for such a historic, English club, and I hope to show my best here.
"I am a very ambitious player and West Ham is a very ambitious club, as we’ve seen with the appointment of the new coach.
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"I hope to help the team win lots of games and make the fans happy."
The Poland keeper, 33, said: “West Ham is a massive club.”
They also hope to lure Fabianski's former Swans team-mate Alfie Mawson to the club, with the centre-back's possible arrival in East London further increasing competition for places in defence.