Hammers have bid accepted for Marseille forward
West Ham United are set to sign Dimitri Payet from Ligue 1 side Marseille after the club ‘reluctantly’ accepted their offer of around £14million.
The Hammers launched the formal bid last week, and now according to Sky Sources, the bid has been accepted and the player is now in London set to undergo a medical.
Since the bid was accepted by Marseille, the French side have released a formal statement voicing their displeasure at Payet and also at the striker’s agent.
According to the French outfit, Payet and his agent went against their word, which was to hold formal talks about his future in July.
However, he has now agreed personal terms with West Ham and is now set to complete his move to the Premier League side, subject to passing his medical.
Marseille Statement in Full
A Marseille statement read: “Olympique de Marseille says it has absolutely no intention of selling Dimitri Payet.
“In early June, an agreement to this effect was made with Dimitri and his agent. Both sides endorsed on this occasion that the OM playmaker honour the last two years of his contract.
“On June 22, Dimitri’s agent requested a new meeting with club president Vincent Labrune and, at that meeting, he announced that he and his player had opened negotiations with West Ham, saying that the English club offered a contract of six years accompanied by £21.4m in wages over that period.
“Therefore, the agent demanded a huge and immediate revaluation of Payet’s contract to remain at Marseille. Unable to meet this demand, Olympique de Marseille, through the voice of its president, expressed his surprise that negotiations were opened with another club without OM being warned.
“The club then pushed the reckless demands of Payet’s agent, explaining that he agreed to reasonably revise the player’s contract in mid-July. The agent, refusing this timeline, asked Labrune a quick response saying that ‘otherwise, the English club is preferred’.
“Surprised by this ultimatum, the Marseille president decided after half a day of reflection to respond favorably to the English bid that was received but at the same time told the player to face his responsibilities.
“OM considers these to be to stay at Marseille and wait until mid-July for to review his contract or select West Ham. OM obviously wants Dimitri to choose to stay next season.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
