West Ham are now confident they can offer a contract to Declan Rice that will satisfy his wage demands, according to reports in the English media.

The 22-year-old has already turned down two proposals to extend his stay at the London Stadium, with the player wanting a salary in excess of £200,000 a week.

It has led to speculation that the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United will take advantage of the impasse by making a bid for Rice before the start of the Premier League season.

However, the departure of Felipe Anderson to Lazio has freed up enough of the wage bill so that the Hammers can offer Rice the type of contract he is looking for.

Anderson has been sold for £3m but he was earning in excess of £100,000 a week and those funds can now be re-directed towards another offer to the club’s vice-captain. Whether it will be enough to convince him to stay and sign a new deal, we shall have to wait and see.