Marco Silva has been desperate to bolster his defence having seen much of preseason play out with just two senior centre-backs on his books, Tosin Adarabioyo and captain Tim Ream.
Brighton defender Shane Duffy was brought in on loan last week, while goalkeeper Bernd Leno was signed from Arsenal, but Diop’s arrival will further lift the mood around Craven Cottage following Saturday’s superb 2-2 draw against Liverpool, in which new signings Andreas Pereira and Joao Palhinha both excelled.
Diop brings proven Premier League quality, having made more than 90 League appearances for West Ham across four seasons after joining the club from Toulouse in 2018.
The 25-year-old was a regular during his first two seasons at West Ham but made only 10 League starts last term and had slipped further down the pecking order at the London Stadium following the £28m arrival of Nayef Aguerd from Rennes.
Following Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City, David Moyes revealed Diop had declined to make himself available for selection amid speculation over his future, despite the Hammers having just one fit centre-back.
West Ham have managed to recoup a fair proportion of the £22m they paid to sign the Frenchman four summers ago and are now targeting a move for German international Thilo Kehrer, having held initial talks with PSG.
