WestHam will use part of the wages vacant from the sale of Felipe Anderson to Lazio in order to commit to a new contract with England midfielder Declan Rice.

    The Brazilian is set to return to the Italian club for £5million. Just three years after his £42million move. And the east London club see the amount of money he earns from the club. That will be awarded to Rice in a huge new contract.

    Anderson, 28, joined the Hammers in July 2018 on a four-year deal under Manuel Pellegrini and former sporting director Mario Ouzi.

    The fee at the time was a club record and West Ham had already paid in full.

    But after an impressive first season in which he scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 40 games in all competitions, Anderson’s form has dropped dramatically.

    He only managed two more goals and eight assists in three games. And last season was loaned to Porto but only made 10 appearances.

    Anderson arrived in Italy on Tuesday to finalize the deal. And there’s a picture of him wearing the Lazio kit in training on Wednesday and the official transfer is likely to be announced soon.

    Despite a loss of £37 million, that wasn’t a disaster. Part of Anderson’s wages in excess of £100,000-a-week will be used to fund a new contract to be submitted to Rice for consideration.

    The Hammers are actively working on a new long-term deal with the England midfielder. In return for outstanding achievements which helped the team get to the Europa League in the new season.