Mohamed Diame
West Ham are not planning on selling Diame despite financial restrictions. (Reuters)

West Ham United co-owner David Gold has insisted the club are doing "everything possible" to retain the services of Mohamed Diame.

The all action midfielder was heavily linked with a move away from Upton Park during the January transfer window with speculation of a departure refusing to die down in the summer months.

Sam Allardyce's side have spent in the excess of £20m this summer in bringing Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Razvan Rat, Adrian and Daniel Whitehead to the club, but more importantly they have managed to retain the services of their most impressive individuals from last season.

With record signing Carroll still unavailable through injury, it has been suggested that West Ham are still in the market for another striker with Modibo Maiga the club's only established presence up front in the England international's absence.

However, Gold has suggested that if the club want to make further additions to the squad before the closure of the transfer window, then they will have to sell before they can buy.

Given the club's predicament, the future of perhaps their most sought after player last season in former Wigan Athletic man Diame was raised to the West Ham co-owner on Twitter. But Gold reassured anxious fans that the club will do everything in their power to keep the Senegal international at the club.

West Ham's lack of options up front wasn't evident last Saturday as the club cruised to a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in their Premier League opener. Both Kevin Nolan and Joe Cole got on the score sheet having played off lone striker Maiga, but both Allardyce and Gold believe the squad could do with a further addition up front.

""We have reached our target laid down by the new rules in terms of wages," Gold told Sky Sports News last week.

"The only possibility now is if player are sold. That's up to Sam, that's in his hands. If he releases wages, that will give us the opportunity to bring in replacements for those players.

"I think it's clear that we are still short of a striker. David Sullivan agrees with that, Sam agrees with that, but until we release those wages by players leaving there is little we can do.

"The next couple of weeks, we will see what happens."

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