OPINION
West Ham United are reportedly closing in on the signing of France international Samir Nasri, who is returning from an 18-month ban for doping.
Nasri has been a free agent ever since he left Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor in January, and is set to sign a six-month deal worth £80,000-a-week at the London Stadium, as reported by the Evening Standard.
In footballing terms, this is extremely exciting news for West Ham fans, with Nasri being a proven Premier League performer who has been there and done it at the highest levels in world football.
However, there are some serious wider questions to be asked about the finances of the deal, which will see Nasri rake in around £2million across the six months.
As widely documented in recent months, the club have been locked in a tussle with young midfielder Declan Rice over a new contract.
According to club insiders Claret & Hugh, their final contract offer to Rice amounted to a basic wage of just £21,000-a-week, with his pay rising to a potential £30,000-a-week with bonuses.
Rice is yet to agree to such terms, and is holding out for a higher basic wage from the club, with several of the top sides in the Premier League now beginning to circle.
The fact that the club are willing to stump up £80,000-a-week for Nasri, a player who is renowned for a poor attitude and who has not played in 18 months, and are not ready to offer Rice less than half of that is pretty gobsmacking.
While Nasri’s contract is obviously only for the short term, what kind of message is this going to send to Rice, who has committed everything for the club over the past season or so and has become one of their best players?
Rice could easily be a player who the team is based around for years to come, but the club are showing an unwillingness to stump up for totally reasonable contract demands.
Meanwhile, a player who has a highly questionable history within the game and is returning from a worldwide ban is immediately handed his demands on a silver plate.
These financial discrepancies expose some serious hypocrisy within the West Ham hierarchy, and David Gold and Sullivan should hang their heads in shame over their treatment of Rice after this latest development.