By Harry Sykes

West Ham are set to tie their dazzling Argentine playmaker Manuel Lanzini down in a new five-year deal to ward off interest from Liverpool, according to a report.

The Sun have reported that Lanzini will sign an £85,000-a-week contract to stay at the London Stadium until 2022, a deal worth over £22million in total.

They claim that the Hammers were “desperate” to tie the player down after he was linked with Liverpool who could be seeking a replacement for Philippe Coutinho.

The Mirror revealed earlier today that the Reds have rejected a second bid, said to be for £90million, for their own playmaker.

The Sun claim Liverpool have been tracking Lanzini but will be braced for a blow with this news.

It is said that the Hammers were originally hoping to secure him for £50k-a-week, but the interest from Liverpool made his negotiating position stronger.

Lanzini signed for West Ham from Al-Jazira last summer for £10.8m after spending a season with them on loan.

He has made 73 appearances for the Hammers across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and adding 14 assists.

Football Insider verdict:

The Philippe Coutinho transfer saga is set to be the story of the summer and it looks like being a game of brinskmanship. Does every player have his price? That’s what we’re se to find out as Barcelona ramp up the pressure on the Liverpool hierarchy. Lanzini was reported to be seen as a replacement for the player but if he signs a new five-year deal Liverpool would have to look elsewhere if they let Coutinho go. It’s a great deal for West ham, although it sounds like they’ve had to pay more than they wanted to tie down their mercurial talent. On the eve of the new Premier League campaign though, it couldn’t have come at a better time for them. How Liverpool wish their position was as solid.

In other Liverpool transfer news, a report has detailed the Reds’ stance on this French midfielder.

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