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.
"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.