Jim White: West Ham make club-record Declan Rice contract offer
West Ham have made Declan Rice an offer that would double his wage and make him the highest-paid player in their history, according to Jim White.
Speaking on talkSPORT [23/08/21] on Monday morning, White said: “It’s our understanding that West Ham have made two contract offers so far. The offers remain on the table.
“There has not been a bid for him, that’s my understanding.
“What’s his best option here? As I understand it, the offer from West Ham will more than double his present wage and would make him the highest paid player in the history of West Ham United.”
When asked if the 22-year-old midfielder should sign a new contract, ex-Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan said: “If he wants some short term benefit, then yeah.
“I imagine West Ham would want to put a substantial release clause in there that protects their position.
“I struggle with the perception he’s a £100million footballer.
“Believe me, if West Ham received £100million, all the protestations to one side and all the GSB out stuff, it would still be going.”
Price clash
It seems as though we are doing all we can to reward the England star and tie him to new terms, but money doesn’t seem to be the residing factor in Rice’s resistance, at least in terms of his own pocket.
West Ham have made a very generous offer, according to White, one that would smash the club record for wages, but Rice clearly doesn’t want to be restricted from making a big move in the future.
He looks likely to stay in east London this summer but he may choose to push for a move next year, depending on how we fare this this season.
If we qualify for the Champions League, surely Rice would prefer to stay with the Irons for another season.
However, that seems like a long shot and thus he may look to leave for an elite-level club that regularly competes for the top honours.
He’s unlikely to pen new terms without some sort of exit clause as the club could make a departure difficult.
But it will take some convincing to get the West Ham board to lower their demands.
In other West Ham news, the Irons have held preliminary talks over striker & winger signings from Euro clubs.
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