Dimitri Payet to West Ham: Marseille to offer winger new contract but Hammers confident £14m bid will be enough to secure move
Payet is wanted by West Ham who saw an original £12m bid rejected for the France international
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.West Ham are confident that their top transfer target Dimitri Payet will reject a new contract offer from Marseille in order to join the Premier League club this summer after the Hammers submitted an improved £14m bid for the France international.
Payet could be the third big name to leave the Ligue 1 side after they missed out on qualification for the Champions League. With the squad set to suffer an automatic wage drop after missing out on Europe’s elite competition, both Andre Ayew and Andre-Pierre Gignac has sought moves to Swansea and Mexican side Tigres respectively, and Payet could be the next high profile player to join the exodus.
The Hammers are believed to be confident that the 28-year-old, who has played 15 times for France having made his debut in 2010, will snub the contract extension and attempt to force through a move to the east London club.
On Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported that West Ham’s offer for Payet had been accepted, although talks took place between Payet’s agent and Marseille’s president Vincent Labrune earlier in the week. Labrune is set to report back to majority shareholder, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, who will have the final say over whether Payet will remain at the Stade Velodrome or be on his way to Upton Park.
West Ham are determined to land the former Nantes, Saint-Etienne and Lille winger in a bid to show new manager Slaven Bilic their ambition and justify the move not to renew Sam Allardycve’s contract in order to bring the Croatian to the club in the summer.
With this in mind, the club will offer a significantly improved contract to Payet should they begin talks with him that will drawf Marseille’s improved offer, and The Guardian claims that he could earn as much as £70,000-a-week on a five-year deal that will also have the option of an additional season.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments