Sources: West Ham set to extend contract of home-grown ace amid quit fears

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Published on:

11 Mar 2020, 11:30 am

West Ham are set to extend the contract of midfielder Josh Cullen amid fears he may quit the club at the end of this season, Football Insider understands.

The home-grown midfielder is on a second consecutive season-long loan at Charlton Athletic and his future is up in the end ahead of the summer.

A West Ham source has told Football Insider that the club are ready to activate a 12-month option in Cullen's contract, which expires in June.

That would tie him to the London Stadium until the summer of 2021 and give Hammers chief some breathing space in negotiations over a long-term deal.

Cullen is about to reach a crossroads in his career following two campaigns in south London.

The Republic of Ireland international has come through the ranks at West Ham and is highly regarded by the club.

But he has made only nine first-team appearances and turns 24 next month.

Ex-manager Manuel Pellegrini gave him the green light to go out on loan again last summer as Cullen was way down the pecking order for central midfield spots.

It is something of a problem position for manager David Moyes, who sanctioned the January arrival of Tomas Soucek on loan.

He has made a favourable impression, but there has been an overreliance on Declan Rice and long-serving club captain Mark Noble in the centre of the pitch this season.

In other West Ham news, it can be REVEALED that the club are fuming at West Brom over Grady Diangana treatment.

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