Payet: 'I'm 100 percent staying at West Ham'
To see a list of completed deals in the summer window thus far, visit theScore's Premier League transfer tracker.
Dimitri Payet has uttered the words that'll make supporters in Stratford, East Ham, and beyond very, very happy.
The French midfielder declared he's "100 percent staying at West Ham United," according to Justin Allen from The Sun, shunning heavy interest from the continent's giants following an impressive Euro 2016 campaign.
Related: West Ham co-owner slaps £100M price tag on Payet
The club's media-friendly co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, slapped astronomical price tags on the player that cost around £10.6 million from Marseille last summer, but can now drop the barricades after Payet expressed a willingness to remain at West Ham.
"I've heard about all the interest and I'm flattered," Payet said of his return to the United Kingdom from his homeland. "But I love West Ham. We had a fantastic season and I can't wait to play in the Olympic Stadium.
"I'm 100 percent staying at West Ham, I love the club. I can tell the Hammers fans that."
While Sullivan's valuation of £100 million was perhaps overly ambitious, Gold had more realistic expectations when it came to both the 29-year-old's potential cost and how difficult it could be to retain him.
"We'll fight tooth and nail to make sure Dimitri pulls on a claret and blue shirt next season," said Gold.
"We want to improve our squad and Dimitri is an integral part of what we're trying to do. But we also must be realistic. If Barcelona or Real Madrid made a bid and he wanted to move there, it would be difficult to keep him."
He added: "We wouldn't even listen to any offer under £50 million."
But Payet, who was nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award in his debut campaign, will be serving up gilt-edged opportunities for his teammates and dispatching delicious free-kicks in claret and blue for another season.
Slaven Bilic's side - which has been strengthened with no less than seven new acquisitions - begins its 2016-17 term Aug. 15 in a District Line derby at Chelsea.