West Ham United have confirmed
that captain Lucas Neill will be leaving the club after rejecting
their contract offer.
A statement on the club's official website confirms the
inevitable departure, as Neill is not included on the list of
retained players for the 2009/10 season.
The Australian rejected a one-year extension to his current
deal, which has now expired.
The club claim to have made him a significant offer, which has
officially been rejected and the full-back can speak to other
clubs.
The 31-year-old is expected to attract interest from other
clubs, including Manchester City, and West Ham have wished him well
after two-and-a-half years service at Upton Park.
Among others leaving the club appear to be
Diego Tristan, Lee Bowyer and Walter
Lopez while loan signings David Di Michele and
Radoslav Kovac have returned to Torino and Spartak Moscow
respectively.
