West Ham are against radical plans by Liverpool and Manchester United to reform the English football pyramid, according to a club source.
The Project Big Picture proposals have been put together by Liverpool owner John Henry and United co-chairman Joel Glazer.
Everton, Southampton and West Ham would be granted special status in the plans, along with the so-called ‘big six’.
However, a Hammers insider has told BBC Sport they are “very much against” it.
It is understood the club were unaware of the proposals, even though they were named in them – and were shocked when they emerged into the public domain on Sunday.
The source said they were of the view Liverpool and United were the instigators but that they had been told talks have been going on since January and what has emerged is the 17th version of the proposal.
The plans also include special status for Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday the plans would “undermine the trust in football’s governance”.
“In terms of support for clubs we have been given assurances by the Premier League and English Football League that they have no intention to let any EFL club go bust due to covid and we know they have the means to prevent that from happening within existing mechanisms.
“We strongly urge the Premier League and EFL to continue to work constructively to come up with a package of support for the whole football family.”