Diafra Sakho has made his intention to leave West Ham clear enough, but a question mark remains over his next destination.
The wantaway striker will be a huge loss for the Hammers, but he will also be a big coup for the club that signs him.
The Mirror are reporting that the club in question could be the increasingly ambitious Crystal Palace.
Slaven Bilic won’t allow Sakho to leave until he has a replacement, but once that is sorted, the forward’s move to Palace could gather pace.
West Ham have already rejected a bid of £11million from Sunderland, but with the player refusing to travel with the squad on their pre-season tour, keeping him may be more trouble than it’s worth.
The 26-year-old could, therefore, follow James Tomkins in a move across the capital.
Palace must sympathise with West Ham, as both are struggling to see the results of their ambition in the transfer market.
The Eagles, in particular, have tried to punch above their weight, but it may be only a matter of time before it starts to pay off.
Alan Pardew is setting an example to other Premier League managers in putting his club out there, attempting to sign top players.
Even if that policy failed to bring in Michy Batshuayi or – so far – Christian Benteke, Palace surely won’t be embroiled in another relegation dogfight if they continue to aim high.
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