Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson believes West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice could be prepared to sign a new contract to stay with the club if they qualify for next season's Champions League.
The 22-year-old academy graduate has been heavily linked with a departure from his boyhood club, amid interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.
It is understood that West Ham are preparing to offer Rice a new and improved contract soon and Robinson claims that David Moyes's side have a good chance of keeping hold of the midfielder if they finish this campaign in the top four.
"Declan Rice's future will be dependent on West Ham's season," the former Hammers stopper told Football Insider's Dylan Childs.
"We know they got into the top six last season. Can they do it consistently over a season now and get into the Champions League? We are yet to see if West Ham can match his ambitions and the level that he wants to be at."
"If they are in the Champions League at the end of the season, he may well sign a new contract. But unless they are in those top-four spots at the end of the year, I can't see him staying."
Rice, who is under contract at the London Stadium until June 2024, has played the full 90 minutes in all nine of West Ham's Premier League matches this term, helping the Hammers climb into the top four, two points clear of Brighton & Hove Albion in fifth and Tottenham Hotspur in sixth.
Oliver Thomas
