Arsenal Transfer News: Momo Diame To Emirates - Release Clause Triggered?

Telegraph's Transfer Deadline coverage team that Arsenal have made a bid for West Ham's midfielder Mohammed Diame, who only joined the club in the summer, triggering his release clause and allowing him to speak to the club about a late move before the transfer window slams shut at 11pm. It had been thought that West Ham would keep hold of one of their key assets, as the Independent reported as late as a couple of hours ago, but Sky Sports News were the first to confirm that a Premier League club had made a bid to trigger his release clause, though the club were not named at the time in that on-air report. The Telegraph followed that report up with their own assessment of the situation:

"The Diame release clause looks like turning into one of this evening's most gripping sagas. Simon Peach of the Press Association is tweeting that it wasn't QPR. My information is that it wasn't Tottenham either. Well, you know who that leaves. Arsenal."

Here's confirmation of that tweet from Peach... The Independent report confirmed that the midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to North London rivals Arsenal or Tottenham, and Sam Allardyce confirmed his fears last night that Diame might be leaving the club, and that the Hammers' game against Fulham would be his last:

"Whatever he says to me today might change in an hour's time. Whatever he says now, if Manchester United ring up in one hour€™s time, he€™s not going to want to stay is he? "So it doesn€™t matter what he's saying now, it change between now and 11 o'clock Thursday night; in the flick of a text, or an email, or a phone call."

The Independent also said that West Ham would seek to negotiate a new contract with Diame, but it now looks like he could be set for a last minute move to Arsenal. Meanwhile, a Twitter account belonging to West Ham owner David Sullivan's son Jack Sullivan has carried a contradictory message, saying that Diame's transfer clause has NOT been triggered, despite reports. It seems that time will tell...