Arsenal target Mohamed Diame 'very happy' at West Ham

Midfielder has a £3.5m release clause in his contract

Arsenal's hopes of signing Mohamed Diame have been dealt a blow after the midfielder rejected claims he wanted to leave West Ham.

The imposing midfielder has enjoyed an impressive season since joining from Wigan last summer, bringing him to the attention of a number of clubs.

Among those reportedly interested are Arsenal, who are desperate to add some muscle to their midfield during the current transfer window.

Diame has a £3.5m release clause in his contract which has only fuelled speculation that his time at Upton Park could be a short one.

However, Diame insists he is happy at West Ham and has no desire to leave.

"I know there are people out there saying things about me, but I have spoken with the manager and told him that I want to stay here," he told West Ham's official website.

"I know the club want to keep me too, so I will continue to give my best for them.

"I knew when I signed that West Ham were going to make their mark on the Premier League.

"Since I came here I am enjoying every game I play on the pitch. I think I made a good choice because I am very happy at this club."

Speaking after last night's 5-1 defeat, ironically against Arsenal, West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said no formal bids had been tabled for the 25-year-old Senegal international.

"For me, it's just about agents being disruptive. Mo Diame has not been to me and said he is unhappy in any way," said the Irons' boss.

"We have had no bids from any of the clubs that have been rumoured in the papers.

"He is our player and hopefully come 1 February he will still be our player.

"Players become unhappy by rumours that are spread. In the build-up to the transfer window, I spoke about the one thing that can upset your players is speculation that people want them. They think it could be the club talking about them in the press but it isn't.

"All I can say is that there have been no bids from clubs that I've seen in the press like Arsenal or Tottenham for Mo Diame."