West Ham confirm £25m deal to sell Dimitri Payet to Marseille
The unsettled Frenchman agreed to take a pay cut to ensure the deal was forced through
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West Ham United confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the club has agreed a £25m fee with Olympique de Marseille to sell Dimitri Payet to his former club.
It's understood the disgruntled Frenchman accepted a pay cut to ensure the deal was forced through.
Payet underwent his medical with Marseille on the same day as he readies to join the Ligue 1 side on an 18-month basis.
In a statement released on the club's Twitter account, the Hammers said: "West Ham United can confirm that a £25m fee has today been agreed for the transfer of Dimitri Payet to Olympique de Marseille."
The France international has been angling for an exit for most of January, a situation that became toxic after coach Slaven Bilic revealed in a press conference that Payet no longer wished to play for the club.
Although the West Ham manager initially insisted that Payet would not be sold, after two weeks of extensive talks it now seems that the Hammers have finally agreed to sell the 29-year-old.
Marseille, newly-bolstered with the money of American billionaire Frank McCourt, are expected to confirm the £25m deal which includes bonus clauses.
The current transfer figure could rise to £29-30m should Marseille qualify for the Champions League and/or win Ligue 1 during Payet's contract.
In his desperation to secure a move back to the south of France, Payet accepted a cut in his weekly pay to help smooth the negotiations.
The winger was given a new contract with the Hammers last year that elevated his wages to around £120,000 per week. But with Marseille trying to structure an affordable deal with West Ham, Payet agreed to a wage package worth just north of £100,000 a week in order to speed up the process.
Despite Bilic's insistence that the club would not sell Payet it's understood the Croatian was privately resigned to his departure.
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