WEST Ham captain Lucas Neill is believed to be in talks over a bumper new £75,000-a-week contract.

The new deal would put the Australian, who signed a £60,000-a-week two-and-a-half year contract with the Irons when he joined them from Blackburn Rovers in January, on a par with the club's highest earners.

Summer signings Scott Parker, Craig Bellamy, Kieron Dyer and Freddie Ljungberg all currently earn higher wages than the 29-year-old Neill.

The former Millwall player received criticism for choosing to join West Ham over Champions League challengers Liverpool earlier this year, with some commentators suggesting the player's decision to join the East Enders was financially motivated - a claim Neill strenuously denied.

The defender's new contract would see him pocket around £2million-a-year after tax and other deductions.

The enormous salaries earned by the Hammers' recent signings show just how far the club has moved on since the arrival of Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson a year ago.

Then, injured striker Dean Ashton - a £7.25million arrival from Norwich City in January 2006 - was the club's highest paid player on a basic wage of around £25,000-a-week.

And it is not just the recent signings who are revelling in the Upton Park club's new-found wealth.

England goalkeeper Rob Green, Wales international defender Danny Gabbi-don and home-grown England Under-21 midfielder Mark Noble have all signed improved deals in the past six months, while winger Matty Etherington is also in negotiations over a new contract.

News of Neill's deal comes just a week after sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe slammed Premier League players for their "obscene" pay packets.

However, Irons manager Alan Curbishley, defender Matty Upson and forward Luis Boa Morte have all dismissed Sutcliffe's claim, suggesting players are only being rewarded for football's recent commercial boom.