West Ham are edging closer to an agreement to sign free agent Jack Wilshere in a deal set to be worth £15million in wages, according to The Sun.
The newspaper report that Wilshere is set to put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth £100,000-a-week after talks on Wednesday night, taking a pay cut of £10,000-a-week from his contract at former club Arsenal.
The Sun claim that Wilshere has been given assurances over regular first-team football by Manuel Pellegrini, with the 26-year-old leaving his boyhood club in search of more minutes.
It is said that Wilshere may even fly out to join the Hammers in their pre-season camp in Switzerland if the deal goes through quickly.
OPINION
This is a good deal for the Hammers, but it is one that does not come without risk. Wilshere’s poor injury record over the years is well-documented, and while there is no fee to be paid for his services, these wages of £100,000-a-week represent a hefty pay packet that will exceed the earnings of the vast majority of the squad. Wilshere has recently shown signs of overcoming his injury problems, playing in 38 games for the Gunners last term, but those issues did seem to reemerge towards the end of the campaign, leading to Wilshere’s exclusion from the England squad for the World Cup. In terms of the likelihood of the deal itself, the Irons were thought to have moved away from the idea of signing the left-footed midfielder, but Pellegrini has obviously changed his mind and the club look to be close to an agreement. Wilshere is thought to be keen to remain in London, and should be happy with the terms offered.
