West Ham United fans must have felt pretty smug yesterday when The Sun published an interview with Dimitri Payet who apparently claimed: “I’m 100 per cent staying.”
The mood among Hammers supporters will now dip when they read that those quotes were faked.
According to Payet’s agent, via Daily Mercato, Payet has not spoken to any news publication since Euro 2016.
Jacques Olivier Auguste said: “I am surprised by this information because Dimitri has not done an interview with any media outlet.
“The only thing that is certain is that he is enjoying his holiday, that he deserves, and he is licking the wounds caused by the Euro 2016 final defeat.
“So he is only thinking about recharging at the moment. These declarations are pure inventions in the imagination of a journalist. This deserved a response.”
Payet has been linked with interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer – via The Express – and a move to Spain now again appears like a distinct possibility.
But Payet’s future looks unclear, whereas yesterday it seemed all so simple.
Payet had a stunning season for club and country in 2015-16.
The 29-year-old scored nine goals and laid on 12 assists in 30 Premier League matches, before netted three times and providing two assists in seven outings at Euro 2016 for France.