West Ham United defender Reece Oxford looks set to pen a new five-year contract worth £20k-a-week, effectivelyfending off interest from the likes of Manchester City and ManchesterUnited, according toreports.
The 17-year-old's future looked uncertain earlier this year when it emerged that contract talks had stalled, but news filtering out of the club suggests that he will in fact sign a new deal in spite of summerexit-talks.
Both Manchester clubs were previously leading the race for Oxford, who has been dubbed as the 'next Rio Ferdinand, only for their interest to be quashed by advancing contract talks.
Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho was particularly interested in the teenager, sending scouts to assess him at theUnder-19 European Championship in the summer.
And for a while it seemed as though the talented youngster could be on his way out of West Ham, with manager Slaven Bilic using him sparingly over the last 12 months.
Oxford stays! Reece Oxford set to sign five-year deal with West Ham as he bids to end speculation over his future https://t.co/HKe6T0sUWQ pic.twitter.com/8FLPxDUNMs
Oxford'scurrent contractis set to expire in 2018, but with the risk of a free-transfer leading him astray next summer, a new deal was a priority for West Ham.
The teenager has been sidelined this month after picking up an ankle ligament in training, but he should be back with the first team by the end of November which could see him picked for a clash against rivalsArsenal, the fixture he made a name for himself in last year.
Slaven Bilic handed Oxford his debut on the first game of last season, employing the then 16-year-old in a holding-midfield position in a comfortable win at the Emirates.