West Ham United have agreed to sell Grady Diangana to West Bromwich Albion for a fee which could rise to £18million, according to Sky Sports.
Sky have reported that the England under-21 international has been given permission to speak to West Brom, where he spent last season on loan. The right-winger has still to agree to personal terms and pass his medical.
The report states that the deal will involve an initial £12m fee as well as a potential further £6m in performance-related bonuses.
Celtic had previously been linked with a move for the 22-year-old this summer. The Sun reported back in mid-July that Hoops scouts had been impressed by his displays with West Brom last season.
The newspaper also said that Diangana was looking for a move that would allow him to continue playing regularly.
The Englishman finished the 2019/20 campaign with eight goals and seven assists in 31 appearances as he helped shoot WBA to promotion (Transfermarkt).
A fee Celtic would’ve gone nowhere near
It’s not so much that Celtic can’t afford deals like this, it’s that the club are too prudent to be going splashing the likes of £18m on any one player.
If this move goes through, it’s a key example of the massive inflation of the English market. We’re talking about a player here in Diangana who only has 17 Premier League appearances to his name. He’s only had one real season of consistent first-team football too.
Seeing that the player could cost as much as £18m makes it look ridiculous that Celtic were even looking at him in the first place. However, given that West Ham were reportedly looking to keep him, a higher valuation may have been required to catch the Hammers’ interest (Football.London).
Diangana can play on the left or right wing, meaning that he could’ve been a valuable option for Neil Lennon. However, the prospect of Premier League football next season would’ve been hard to compete with.
As things stand, Celtic only have Mohamed Elyounoussi and James Forrest as natural left and right-wingers respectively.
It remains to be seen if the club goes back into the market to strengthen in either position.
In other news, Celtic great Paul Lambert has urged Shane Duffy to thrive under a pressure he’s yet to experience.
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