Slaven Bilic has revealed that Dmitri Payet wants to leave West Ham – but insists the club will not sell him.
The Hammers boss made the admission during a pre-match press conference before his side host London rivals Crystal Palace.
“I have a situation with a player. It is Dimitri Payet. He wants to leave,” Bilic said.
“We have said we don’t want to sell our best players but Payet does not want to play for us.
“I spoke to the chairman [David Gold] and this is not a money issue. We gave him a long contract because we want him to stay.
“This team, the staff, we gave him everything, we were always there for him. I feel let down. I feel angry.
“We aren’t going to sell him, not whatsoever. It’s not a money issue or anything. We want to keep our best players.”
Payet signed from Marseille for £10.7m in the summer of 2015 and quickly established himself as the key cog in the Hammers’ attack, particularly with his trademark free-kicks.
He has scored 15 goals in 60 appearances for West Ham, although only three have come this season, with the club seven points above the relegation zone.
Payet, who was named in the PFA team of the year for 2015-16, was left on the bench for Friday’s 5-0 FA Cup defeat by Manchester City.