Report: Payet made to pay West Ham £500K before Marseille move
West Ham United instructed Dimitri Payet to cough up January wages totalling £500,000 before rubber-stamping his contentious £25-million return to Marseille, sources told Sky Sports.
Related: Payet gets his wish, leaves West Ham for Marseille in £25M deal
Payet was taking home £125,000 a week at the London Stadium, but club brass wanted the month's pay packets returned after the midfielder expressed his desire to leave West Ham shortly after the turn of the year.
The 29-year-old played a total of 101 minutes in January defeats of 2-0 and 5-0 to Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, before Irons manager Slaven Bilic confirmed Payet requested a transfer on Jan. 12.
The France international was handed a £1-million loyalty bonus by West Ham in September.
Payet's wantaway antics in east London sparked derision in the stands, with vice-chairman Karren Brady telling disgruntled supporters unfortunate enough to have the player's name and No. 27 on their shirts to swap them at the club shop - albeit for £25.
The departure of the former terrace darling also prompted a scathing assessment of his character from West Ham co-owner David Sullivan.
"The club would like to place on record its sincere disappointment that Dimitri Payet did not show the same commitment and respect to West Ham United that the club and fans showed him, particularly when it rewarded him with a lucrative five-and-half-year deal only last year," said Sullivan.
West Ham begins life without Payet on Wednesday, when it welcomes Manchester City to Stratford. Both Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass could make their debuts in the match.