West Ham Set to Open Contract Negotiations With Star at End of Season Amid Transfer Talk

West Ham are set to begin contract negotiations with Manuel Lanzini, once the Hammers are certain of their Premier League future.

That is according to West Ham rumours site site Claret and Hugh, who report that the club will have to wait until summer to tie down Lanzini and young star Declan Rice to new deals with the club's Premier League status hanging in the balance.

The club currently sit 17th in the table, just two points from the drop zone with eight games left. and the future of numerous players will depend on the club staying in the top tier of English football.

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19-year-old Rice is believed to currently be on a deal of £10,000 a week which runs until 2020. Rice has made 23 appearances and West Ham are hoping to prevent him leaving the club by increasing his wage to £25,000 a week.

Lanzini has two years left on his current deal of £35,000 a week, and would reportedly looking for his wages to be doubled to a huge £70,000. Despite this, the Argentine has insisted he is not thinking about his future right now.

West Ham's wage bill is already on the rise, with it increasing to £105m at the start of this season. If the club are to retain the services of Lanzini and Rice, the figure looks set to rise again.

Fans are becoming increasingly frustrated with the running of the club, and in their last home game tensions boiled over, with co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan targeted for abuse. Despite this, they are determined to continue attending West Ham games.