Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim has ended speculation linking him with the managerial posts at West Ham and Chelsea.

The 39-year-old flew to England last month to hold discussions with Premier League clubs but, speaking after Sporting won the the Liga Portugal title on Saturday, he declared that he will not be leaving his current team:

“I stay, I have a contract with Sporting. I dedicate it [league title] to all the Sporting fans. Now we will try to go for a third [domestic league crown since he took over].”

Amorim was believed to be West Ham’s top target to replace David Moyes until very recently. However, it became clear soon after talks were held with the Portuguese coach that he wasn’t interested in moving to the London Stadium.

Who will be West Ham’s next manager?

A number of reliable sources have confirmed that former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui will be appointed as Moyes’s successor at the end of the season.

The Spaniard is believed to have rejected approaches from other Premier League teams, as well as clubs in Spain and Saudi Arabia.

Lopetegui has also been linked with replacing Stefano Pioli at AC Milan, as well as Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich, but the 57-year-old now has his heart set on joining the Hammers.

Moyes’ four-and-a-half reign is set to come to an end

The 5-0 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend was seemingly the final nail in the coffin for the current West Ham head coach.

Moyes had originally been offered a contract to extend his stay beyond the end of this season but results since the New Year have been pretty dire.

The London club crashed out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage and they have no chance of qualifying for Europe next season. A change in the dugout has seemed inevitable for a number of weeks.