Transfer news: West Ham considering shock Payet return

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London, July 8: France international Dimitri Payet has been offered a chance to return to West Ham United as the Premier League outfit is considering re-signing the player who parted ways in bitter circumstances 18 months ago.

Payet was their best player when he arrived at Premier league in 2015 and due to his sole brilliance, West Ham finished seventh that season and even qualified for the Europa League.

However, he tried to engineer a move away from London the very next season when West Ham failed to replicate the same form of the 2015/16 season and was caught in a relegation scare. Payet did not turn up for training and did not grow well with teammates, which ultimately forced manager Slaven Bilic to sell the player to Ligue 1 side Marseille for £25 million.

But since his move to France, the playmaker has also enjoyed a productive spell there, netting 15 times in 46 appearances. He also provided 20 assists across all competitions last season and guided Marseille to a fourth-place finish in Ligue 1 as well as the Europa League final.

Despite being a star player for Marseille, the Ligue 1 side might now have to offload the player to write off his big wage after experiencing some financial burden.

Thus knowing the circumstances, Payet's agent has reportedly contacted West Ham over a reunion and apparently, a talk between the two parties has been scheduled for the coming week.

West Ham have been looking for a playmaker after they missed out on PSG star Javier Pastore. A move for Lazio winger Felipe Anderson also appears to have been stalled.

Moreover, with Manuel Lanzini out until next year with an ACL injury, new manager Manuel Pellegrini has now reportedly prioritised a creative playmaker as his foremost requirement.

The 31-year-old could be available for just £25m. However, his big wage of £100,000 a week could be a stumbling block for the transfer.

Payet's return could be a good signing for West Ham as the player knows the Premier League well and would add more experience to the team being a top-class player.

However, it will be interesting to see how the fans would welcome him back. They had earlier thrown eggs at his car and even painted the walls near the training ground with graffiti.