OPINION
West Ham’s highly-rated defender Declan Rice is reportedly attracting Premier League interest amid his contract stand-off at the London Stadium, which is why Tottenham should consider plotting a cheeky move to sign him.
The Sun clams that Crystal Palace and Bournemouth are lining up bids to land the 19-year-old this summer, as he he is yet to pen a new deal with the Hammers.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail previously reported that the Irishman rejected a fresh £8,000-a-week contract to stay with West Ham and believes he deserves more.
Rice showed in the recent season that he is a rising star tipped for greatness by breaking into the West Ham starting XI and if he becomes available Spurs should be at the front of the queue.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has a knack of developing young talents and that is why the West Ham centre-back ticks a lot of boxes.
It would be some blow for West Ham to see London rivals Spurs land one of their best rising stars, but he is somebody that could really thrive under Pochettino.
Rice is a ball-playing centre-back that could go straight into the Spurs squad and learn massively from the likes of Jan Vertonghen and Davinson Sanchez.
He has been compared to England legend Rio Ferdinand with his style of play and has demonstrated his versatility by filling it as a defensive midfielder when required for the Hammers.
West Ham supporters will be praying that they don’t lose Rice this summer, but their loss could certainly be Spurs’ gain.