What's the story?
The race for the Premier League crown is heating up and this might be the most interesting and closely-fought season, with six teams eyeing for the top honours. Arsenal and Manchester United are two teams who are still in the title race and are currently in a good run of form to challenge the teams above them.
Also Read: 5 possible destinations for Dimitri Payet
Both the sides are trying to hard to sign a quality player this month who can be the difference to help them in the business end of the campaign. Dimitri Payet has been on both the club's radar and the two Premier League giants have made tentative enquiries about the availability of the wantaway West Ham attacker.
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West Ham boss Slaven Bilic announced last week that Dimitri Payet has taken a decision to not for play for the club again and has handed in a transfer request. The Frenchman has been criticised by ex-players, pundits and fans for his selfish decision.
Payet was one of the best players in the league last season with nine goals and 12 assists, the Frenchman had struggled with injuries at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.
The heart of the matter
Following his decision to not play for the club again, Payet has been banished from the first team squad and has been made to train with the West Ham reserves. The 28-year-old signed a new deal last February which runs out in 2021, which means that any club interested in him must cough up a big sum to sign him.
Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger are interested in signing him this month, according to the Daily Star. It is said that the two powerhouses of English football have been tracking Payet for a few months and are looking to take advantage of the player's current situation with his club.
Both the sides will have to bid in excess of £30 million to convince the Hammers to sell their star player as Bilic has made clear that the club have no intentions of selling the player.
Top Chinese clubs have also enquired about Payet but the player has rejected them as it is understood that he and his family have set their heart on a return to Payet's former club Marseille. The French club have already made two bids this month to sign their former fan favourite, which have both been rejected by the Hammers. The first bid was said to be of £19 million while the second was said to be a million higher.
What’s next?
Despite taking a tough stand against the rebellion of Payet, West Ham know that it is of no use to keep a player who has absolutely no interest left in the club's matters.
Also Read: 5 players who refused to play for their clubs
West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan is reportedly ready to sell the Frenchman if any suitor matches their valuation of the player, which is said to be around £30-35 million.
Sportskeeda's take
Arsenal and Manchester United do need a player of Dimitri Payet's ability but may want to pass on him considering his attitude. Both the sides should be wary of the player's poor attitude and must be cautious before signing him for a big sum.
Also, the Hammers would like to offload the Frenchman to a foreign league rather than selling him to a rival club in the Premier League as that decision might come back to haunt them.
