Newcastle United are being linked with a move for West Ham United defender Issa Diop.
According to Foot Mercato, the Magpies are interested in enlisting the French central defender, amid their defensive struggles this season.
No side has currently conceded more goals than Newcastle in the Premier League.
Eddie Howe is in desperate need of reinforcements at the back if he is to successfully guide the club to safety.
Diop, 24, has been with West Ham since the summer of 2018, joining from French club Toulouse.
He initially made a real impression for the Hammers, but he has not seen too much game time at the club over the past 12 months.
He has been low down in the pecking order under David Moyes, who has preferred the likes of Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson.
Kurt Zouma then signed for the club during the last window, meaning more competition for Diop.
But, Ogbonna is now out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury. And Zouma is also sidelined.
That could mean Moyes is reluctant to allow £67,00-a-week star Diop to leave.
Foot Mercato also say that AC Milan are looking at Diop as a potential replacement for the injured Simon Kjaer. Watford are also supposedly keen.
Issa Diop would be a great addition for Newcastle, but it’s surely unlikely
Diop – who cost West Ham around £22 million – would potentially be a great addition by Newcastle next month.
He has shown, although not consistently, that he can shine in the top-flight. Upon joining West Ham he described himself as ‘a very ambitious player’.
But the injury situation at West Ham surely complicates matters.
Moyes is currently short of options at the back and will not want to lose anyone else.
Newcastle have the capacity to make a big offer, which could well tempt the Hammers to sell. Maybe if West Ham could get a couple of players in first then they would consider it.
But that is probably quite unlikely. Mid-season deals are always more difficult to pull off.
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