West Ham accept £40m Brentford bid for Diouf

What the report says

Brentford have reached a verbal agreement with West Ham to sign Senegal defender El Hadji Malick Diouf in a deal that could be worth up to £40m, according to BBC Sport Football. West Ham have accepted the offer and Diouf has been cleared for a medical, with the transfer described as the Bees’ main defensive target for this window.

The reported fee is split into an initial £35m plus £5m in performance-related add-ons. The 21-year-old left-back, who joined West Ham from Slavia Prague for £19m last year, would leave after one season at the club. BBC Sport said he made 34 appearances for West Ham last term and contributed five assists.

Diouf featured in West Ham’s Championship opener against Burnley, but he has not been included in the squad for their two most recent matches. His move would also bring him back to Premier League football after West Ham’s relegation last season. More generally, the deal underlines the continued activity in the summer transfer market and Brentford’s effort to strengthen after a strong previous league campaign.

If completed, Diouf would become Brentford’s fifth signing of the summer, following Callum Wilson, Mamadou Sangare, Jannik Schuster and Jaidon Anthony. BBC Sport also noted that discussions over the transfer had stalled earlier in the summer before being reopened this week.