MANUEL LANZINI is ready to sign a new £85,000-a-week contract with West Ham.
The Hammers have been desperate to tie their Argentine playmaker down on a new deal to ward off interest from other clubs.
Liverpool have been tracking the 24-year-old, who since the departure of Dimitri Payet last season has established himself as the creative force in the Hammers side.
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And after four months of negotiations, Lanzini is finally ready to accept the package on the table and sign on for another five years at the London Stadium.
West Ham began talking to three of their key players over new deals towards the end of last season – with Pedro Obiang and Michail Antonio both quickly reaching agreement.
But Lanzini’s has taken longer to get over the line as the Hammers looked to improve on his current £30,000-a-week contract he signed 18 months ago.
Originally they were prepared to pay the former River Plate star £50,000-a-week, but have been forced to go much further to convince the playmaker to sign on the line.
Lanzini’s bargaining position strengthened when it became clear he had caught the eye of Liverpool who were looking out for a potential replacement for Barcelona target Philippe Coutinho.
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And with a huge increase in the wages available if he moved elsewhere, West Ham bosses knew they had to shift their position and dig deeper - even though they were insistent they would not sell the midfielder.
SunSport understands they have now done so, and Lanzini is close to signing the contract that would see him paid £4.4million-a-year.
It will be another boost to West Ham fans who have been excited by the transfer business the club has done this summer.
With Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez all arriving, boss Slaven Bilic looks to have a far stronger squad than this time last season.
West Ham begin their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a trip to Old Trafford to take on Jose Mourinho's new-look Manchester United.
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