The Dimitri Payet saga is finally set to come to a conclusion, after West Ham United agreed a £25million deal with Marseille for the sale of the player.
The France international was one of the star turns of the Premier League last season, following a £10.75million move to the Hammers from Marseille. He carried this form into the European Championships, and although he was linked with moves to clubs such as Barcelona in the summer, he began the current campaign at the London Stadium.
However, it emerged earlier this month that the 29-year-old had told Hammers boss Slaven Bilic that he no longer wanted to play for the club, despite signing a new contract just last February. Instead, the forward had set his heart on a return to the Stade Velodrome, and ever since this revelation he has been excluded from first team training.
Marseille have been keen to strike a deal for Payet for much of the month, failing with as many as three bids, but it now looks certain they will sign the player after the two clubs agreed a fee of £25million for the transfer. The former Nantes, Saint Etienne and Lille man is now expected to tie up the formalities of the switch before Tuesday night’s deadline.
Bilic, meanwhile, has already signed a replacement after sealing the £10million arrival of Hull City winger Robert Snodgrass. The Scotland international, 29, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with the Hammers, who have also signed Southampton defender Jose Fonte in what could yet turn out to be a satisfactory window for the capital club.
