West Ham target El Hadji Malick Diouf deal as Slavia Prague manager makes transfer admission | OneFootball

Hammers hope to seal deal for 20-year-old Senegal defender

Slavia Prague manager Jindrich Trpisovsky has confirmed West Ham target El Hadji Malick Diouf is set to leave the club.

“The situation surrounding El Hadji Malick Diouf? It's always the same. We're all thinking about a transfer,” said Trpisovsky.

“It's a matter of time. The club's management is taking care of it. Malick has an individual plan, we don't want to take any risks.

El Hadji Malick Diouf in action for Senegal against England last month

Getty Images

“He's a player with extraordinary qualities, and he will have them for the future. Slavia's demands must be met, but we believe he will leave.”

Diouf enjoyed a breakthrough season with Slavia Prague last term, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 41 appearances.

He has four caps for Senegal and impressed when they beat England 3-1 last month.

Able to play as a left winger and a left-back, his versatility could prove useful for Graham Potter with left-back Aaron Cresswell having departed the club.

Diouf is currently training away from the rest of the Slavia Prague squad in a bid to keep him fit ahead of his imminent departure.

He is expected to fetch a club-record fee for Slavia Prague, eclipsing the £12.5million Tottenham paid for goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky in January.

West Ham enjoy a good relationship with Slavia Prague, having signed Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal from the Czech side in 2020.