Championship West Ham are hopeful that star defender James Tomkins will sign an extension to his current deal. The 22 year old has been strongly linked with a move to London rivals QPR in January, but Hammers co-owner David Gold revealed last week that the club will turn down any approach as they are determined to keep their best young players at Upton Park.
"James is not one of those that is running short of a contract term," boss Sam Allardyce told talkSPORT. "We have been negotiating with him and will continue that in January to get a conclusion on extending that. I am optimistic.
"We are working with a very talented but small squad of players. We can ill afford to lose any players at this stage of the season to any of the clubs in the Premier League."
