West Ham are close to making midfielder Tomas Soucek's loan move from Slavia Prague a permanent deal.
Soucek joined the Stratford side at the end of January on loan with an option to buy, and the Hammers have told the Czech giants they will trigger their obligation to buy the 25-year-old as agreed as part of the agreement that was originally made when he signed.
According to Football Insider, a West Ham spokesperson revealed that the club is set to pay £13.5m on top of the £4m loan fee they forked out in January. This will take the overall price for Soucek to £17.5m, although that does not include his contract and signing-on fee.
The club is set to announce the signing once they have officially avoided relegation at the end of the season. The Hammers are not yet mathematically safe after Aston Villa's shock victory over Arsenal on Tuesday, but it would require massive wins for both the Villans - who West Ham face on Sunday - and Watford to send them down.
Soucek has been monumental to West Ham's survival bid and has already made a huge impact at the club, with his goalscoring from midfield proving pivotal this campaign.
Starting ten Premier League games for the club, he has developed a strong partnership with England international Declan Rice and has scored three goals in his last five matches.
He previously revealed his eagerness to stay at the club earlier in July, stating: "I am enjoying the Premier League because we play against big teams and I’m enjoying every day on the training ground.
“I’m playing with guys that I’ve played with for four or five months but I’m really enjoying it and, hopefully, we’ll be safe and I will be able to enjoy more years here.”
Source : 90min