West Ham manager Sam Allardyce on Wednesday claimed he is close to signing a new contract with the Premier League club.
Allardyce's current deal with the Hammers expires at the end of the season and his team's poor form in recent weeks has seen QPR boss Harry Redknapp and former West Ham striker Paolo Di Canio linked with the job.
But former Newcastle and Bolton boss Allardyce insists he has been talking about a new contract with West Ham's joint owners David Sullivan and David Gold.
"We both want to do it, it's just a question of sorting out the dotting of the i's and crossing of the t's," Allardyce told Sky Sports News.
"As always, that is not as easy a situation as you would like.
"You always have to do some negotiations when you are moving into the next contract, just as there were plenty of negotiations over the first contract.
"So we will hopefully come to a conclusion very shortly."
A new deal would raise the possibility of Allardyce overseeing the transfer from Upton Park to the Olympic Stadium, set to occur at the start of the 2016/17 season.
The move has been the subject of resistance from various parties, including some West Ham supporters, but Allardyce believes it is necessary if the club is to progress.
"We need to move to this new stadium to compete with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham in this world," he said.
"I can understand why they don't want to leave Upton Park because they probably came here in their infancy and their dad, uncle or grandad brought them so they've grown to love this stadium.
"But at the end of the day, football has to progress."
Source: AFP
