West Ham United remain confident that a deal will be struck with defender Declan Rice over a new contract, according to Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers news website, which is a reliable source of insider information, report that the club are unworried by leaks claiming they offered him just £8,000-a-week, and believe the £15,000-a-week deal on the table is a reasonable offer.
Claret and Hugh claim that Manuel Lanzini’s injury is set to change the club’s summer plans, with Rice set to become an even more important figure in the first-team squad next season.
A source at the club is quoted as saying: “His current deal locks him into West Ham for another three years and the club will ensure a deal is done. We will not be losing Declan Rice – such situations develop at the outset of contract talks.”
A source close to Rice said: “Declan has a very good head on his shoulders and is not necessarily motivated by money at this stage. He wants to play football at the highest level and knows that is far more likely to happen with the club that developed him given his progress last season than elsewhere.”
OPINION
When the news broke that negotiations were not going smoothly and claims emerged that the Hammers had offered Rice just £8,000-a-week, fans were up in arms and feared the worst. Those claims however always seemed outlandish, with Rice’s value to this side clear for everyone to see in 2017/18. There was no way that the even West Ham board, as incompetent as they have shown themselves to be, would let Rice leave over a contract disagreement. The 19-year-old was one of the club’s best players last season, and has already been touted as a future captain. There is no way they would have allowed him to walk away. And luckily for the club, it does not look like Rice has any intention of walking away either. The youngster looks committed, being well aware his first-team chances are much higher at the London Stadium than anywhere else, and that is a positive for the club.
