West Ham are in advanced talks with defender Declan Rice about a new deal at the club, according to Football Insider.
The reliable sports news site claim that the Hammers are on the verge of reaching an agreement with the centre-back, 18, about a long-term contract.
Football Insider report that “negotiations between the parties are progressing well” and West Ham are confident that Rice will be tied down beyond his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2019.
Rice has broken into the first-team picture this season and has made 11 appearances in total for the Premier League outfit.
The teenager started out at Chelsea before moving to West Ham in 2014 and he has progressed through the youth ranks at the Hammers to become an increasingly key first-team player.
OPINION
Rice is a hugely talented young defender who has the potential to be a brilliant one. Hammers fans have not had much to shout about this season, but they are convinced that the teenager is the real deal. He was used in a midfield anchorman role in his early league appearances, but Rice is a centre-back and that is the position where he looked so comfortable in an impressive recent display against City’s brilliant front line that persuaded Jamie Redknapp to compare him to a young John Terry. High praise indeed, and a lot for Rice to live up to. Those with not so long memories will recall that another young West Ham defender Reece Oxford was the subject of big talk two years ago. But he has not progressed as the club would have hoped and there is now speculation he will be sold for a fee of around £6million in January. Rice cannot rest on his laurels after a few decent displays. He must work his socks off to maximise his immense potential. That is how Terry has had such a glittering career.