West Ham United are running the risk of losing Declan Rice if they continue to stall negotiations for a longer period of time.
According to the Guardian, the East London club are prepared to keep the silence going until the end of the season and only reopen talks with him during the summer.
The 19-year-old rejected the club’s recent new offer of £15k-a-week after demanding more due to the important figure he has become in the first team.
Rice, who currently earns £3k-a-week, has been one of the standout players in Manuel Pellegrini’s squad and is set for a big future with the impressive season he is having.
Playing as a defensive midfielder in Pellegrini’s set-up this season, Rice has shown a great level of maturity in a West Ham team that has relatively struggled to get any sort of momentum going since August.
Currently in 14th position in the Premier League and only four points clear of a relegation spot, the Hammers have underachieved significantly to date, given the amount of money they spent in the summer.
But Rice has looked the part in a turbulent few months and with other clubs keeping tabs on him, West Ham run the risk of seeing him agree terms with a new team if the current contract situation isn’t resolved soon.
Despite admitting that he is happy at West Ham, if the club doesn’t feel he is worthy of earning £30k-a-week, which he is reportedly demanding, then they should actually not be surprised if a club like Manchester United snatch him up.
The Sun reported on Monday that the Red Devils have been scouting some of his games this season and that they are closely monitoring him in the hope of finding a suitable replacement for the struggling Nemanja Matic.
A club like United surely won’t hesitate to match the £30k-a-week requirement of Rice and will offer him much more than that if needed.
Rice is out of contract in 2020 but West Ham could see the back of him if they don’t start fresh talks over a new deal with him soon.