West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek would be prepared to ‘walk away’ from the negotiating table if he’s unsatisfied with the club’s latest contract offer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 26-year-old has established himself as a key player at the London Stadium since arriving on an initial loan deal back in January 2020, forming a formidable partnership with Declan Rice.

What is the latest news involving Soucek?

Soucek joined West Ham on a permanent basis from boyhood club Slavia Prague at the beginning of last season via a £17.6 million deal and has gone from strength to strength ever since.

In 2020/21, the 46-cap Czech Republic international scored 10 goals and provided a single assist in 38 Premier League appearances, firing David Moyes’ charges to a sixth-placed finish.

Although his productivity has slowed down in the current campaign, Soucek has still been a crucial cog for the capital club as they continue to push for a Champions League qualification spot.

As a result, the West Ham hierarchy have reportedly opened talks over extending his stay in east London after he entered the final two-and-a-half years of his existing £47,000-per-week contract.

Despite his present deal reportedly having the option of being extended by another two years, Claret and Hugh claim discussions are ongoing over a potential four-year agreement which would include a significant pay rise.

What has Jones said about Soucek?

Soucek’s bargaining power may have been increased recently as the Daily Mail claim he was one of several first-team players shocked to discover under-fire Kurt Zouma earns £125k-p/w.

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And Jones has revealed he’s been told the 6 foot 3 dynamo - who is valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt - would be willing to leave the talks if he’s ‘not satisfied’ with how they are developing.

In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “If he’s not satisfied with the offer, he’d walk away from the table, I’m told.”

Would Soucek be a big loss to West Ham?

Over the last 18 months, Soucek has started 60 of West Ham’s 62 Premier League games to date, highlighting his importance to Moyes’ side.

And his underlying numbers indicate why. As per WhoScored, the box-to-box beast has won 3.7 aerial duels, while making 2.2 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and three clearances per league game throughout this season.

Those figures place him in the top four for each metric amongst his teammates and showcase just how fundamental Soucek is to West Ham’s success.