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London - West Ham United have reportedly turned down a third offer from Olympique de Marseille to secure the services of Dimitri Payet.
A source close to the French club's president said that a bid, said to be worth about £22.5 million, was made this week.
Marseille's latest offer was only a small increase on their previous offers of £20 million and £22 million, which is well below what West Ham are seeking.
Marseille were rumoured to be willing to pull out of the negotiations, but West Ham might regard that as an attempt at scare tactics.
West Ham value the player at £30 million and rejected the two previous offers from the French side.
Payet, who signed with the Premier League club for £10.75 million in 2015 and re-signed in February last year, has said that he wants to return to Marseille for family reasons.
The club's player of the year for 2016 is training with the Hammers' Under-23 squad, watching the top side win two games without him.
The Hammers have recorded two victories since the exclusion of Payet from their match-day squad and will be looking to grab some points when they face the daunting task of welcoming Manchester City to the Olympic Stadium on February 1.
Kick off is at 21:45.
