West Ham have halted plans for striker Callum Wilson to depart the club this month after pausing discussions over the termination of his contract.
Wilson had been in advanced negotiations with the club regarding an early release from his deal, which is due to expire in the summer.
However, a senior Hammers figure has intervened to bring those talks to an end, with Wilson now expected to remain at the London Stadium until the conclusion of the campaign.
The decision follows Wilson’s dramatic last-gasp winner in Saturday’s London derby against Tottenham.
Club insiders have determined that allowing Wilson to leave would be counter-productive, with West Ham in urgent need of goals as they battle to retain their Premier League status.
Wilson arrived on a free transfer in the summer and has contributed five goals across 19 appearances.
Yet the English forward’s first-team prospects appeared set to diminish following the recent arrivals of attackers Pablo Felipe and Tati Castellanos.
Consequently, Wilson and West Ham had opened talks over ending his contract, a move that would have enabled him to join another side on a free transfer.
Those proposals have now been shelved, with the 33-year-old poised to stay put until the summer.
Speaking earlier this month, Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed discussions over Wilson’s possible exit, saying: “Me and Callum we had a lot of conversations, just 10 minutes ago we were speaking about that situation.
“Two strikers have joined, correct. I personally decided these strikers have joined. Callum is a very experienced man, he’s been in the game for so much time, he knows that his position has changed.
“We were honest with each other. Yes, your position has changed, but you are still a player for the club and we still maybe need him and he should help us because he joined us.”