Insider: West Ham close to sealing two deals

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Published on:

01 Mar 2018, 6:46 am

By Richard Parks

West Ham are close to sealing new contract agreements with playmaker Manuel Lanzini and young defender Declan Rice, according to a club insider.

Ex-WHU Employee, who is an excellent source of news about the club and regularly breaks stories on Twitter, reported in an exchange with a Hammers fan on Thursday morning that fresh deals for the pair are imminent.

Asked if reports of a new contract for rising star Rice were correct, Ex-WHU Employee replied "yes" and added that a new contract for Lanzini is also expected to be finalised imminently.

Yes they have been planning a new deal for Declan for a while now and should come soon a long with Lanzini hopefully https://t.co/8YatJnOKau
— ExWHUEmployee (@ExWHUEmployee) March 1, 2018

Lanzini, 25, has been a key player for West Ham since joining, initially on a season-long loan, from Al-Jazira in the summer of 2015.

The Argentina international has 94 appearances for the club, scoring 18 goals and supplying 15 assists, and is widely regarded as one of their prize assets. His current deal expires in the summer of 2020.

Rice, 19, has made 23 appearances for West Ham this season, including 17 in the Premier League, and the club see him as a future mainstay for the side.

The versatile player, who has featured in midfielder as well as in defence for West Ham this season, has come up through the youth ranks after switching from Chelsea in 2014. His current deal ends in the summer of 2019.

In other West Ham transfer news, the club are on the verge of signing a 25-year-old speed machine.

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