West Ham are prepared to match Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe’s £100,000 a week wage demands, according to the Express.
The Hammers have a wage structure in place that currently has the top earners, Robert Snodgrass and Jose Fonte, on a reported £70,000 a week but it seems the club are willing to break the bank to re-sign the 34 year old veteran from the Black Cats.
Defoe was said to have been the subject of two bids from West Ham during the January transfer window but Sunderland kept hold of the player despite it being reported that the forward could leave for nothing in the summer if the club were relegated.
With David Moyes’s side now destined for Championship football next season, a number of Premier League sides are seeking to sign Defoe, who has scored 15 Premier League goals this season.
Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and West Brom are believed to be West Ham’s main rivals in the battle to sign the striker.
