West Ham United have turned down a third offer from Marseille for midfielder Dimitri Payet, according to Sky Sports.

What's the latest?

Sky Sports reported last week that the Ligue 1 giants had given up their pursuit of Payet due to the Hammers' valuation of around £30m.

However, the broadcaster is now claiming that Marseille have tried to test West Ham's resolve once again with a £22.5m offer.

It is believed, though, that the Premier League outfit have rejected the bid, appearing to hold firm on their asking price.

Marseille have knowledge that the 29-year-old wants to rejoin the club, where he spent two years before signing for West Ham for around £10m in 2015.

It has been widely reported that Payet, who is training with the Under-23s after refusing to play for the Hammers again, wants to go back to Marseille for family reasons.

The transfer window slams shut in eight days' time, though, so the East London outfit are running out of time to get Payet off their books.

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Will West Ham miss him?

If last season's statistics were solely taken into account, then yes, because Payet was influential.

The Frenchman scored nine goals and made 12 assists in 30 Premier League appearances.

In the first half of the current campaign, Payet netted twice and made six goals in 18 top-flight outings.

He is widely regarded as West Ham's best player, but since he informed manager Slaven Bilic that he wants out, the team have performed well without him.

After a dismal start to the season, which left them with just six wins in 19 before the turn of the year, life is looking slightly more positive at the London Arena.

In their first game after Payet dropped his bomb - a clash at home to Crystal Palace - West Ham ran out 3-0 winners.

Bilic's side followed that up with a 3-1 triumph over Middlesbrough, with Andy Carroll scoring twice.

In fact, Opta recently revealed that the Hammers have won 75% of their league games without Payet and just 28% with him.

While it is understandable that West Ham want to get the best price, perhaps it is worth cutting their losses.

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