Arsenal have been given the green light to make a move for Dimitri Payet after the playmaker told Slaven Bilic he wants to leave West Ham.
The 29-year-old was arguably West Ham’s standout performers last season, helping the East London club finish in seventh place in the Premier League table and acquiring Europa League football.
However, this season hasn’t been so fruitful for the Frenchman. The playmaker has failed to hit the heights as he did last term and West Ham are struggling in the league.
Reports had previously suggested that Payet was looking to move on, with the player himself hinting that he may consider his future at the Hammers if things didn’t change for the better. As it is, the 29-year-old has now dropped a huge bombshell by claiming he no longer wants to play for the club and wants to leave, despite signing a new long-term deal last February.
Bilic has confirmed Payet’s comments and while the player would have no shortage of potential suitors, the West Ham boss is adamant he will not be sold:
‘Let’s get serious. I have a situation with a player. It is Dimitri Payet. He wants to leave.
‘We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us.
‘We are not going to sell him.’
Although Bilic is determined not to sell the player, this may change with the inevitable flood offers about the come in.
Arsene Wenger is believed to be a keen admirer of his fellow countryman and with Mesut Ozil’s future in limbo at the Emirates, the Frenchman may see the West Ham man as an ideal replacement for the German.
However, Wenger with face stern competition for Payet’s signature, with Manchester United, Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain all said to be keen on the playmaker as well.
