The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has been discussing the value of West Ham United midfielder and reported Chelsea transfer target Declan Rice.
It has been touted that the Blues are keen on signing Rice in the summer, however, the Irons have reportedly rebuffed the notion of a swap deal (per The Guardian).
Furthermore, Irons manager David Moyes has aired his confidence in keeping the midfielder and stated that it would take “the Bank of England money” to see the 21-year-old leave (per Evening Standard).
So, in the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas discussed just how much money it would take to see Rice leave the club.
He said: “He [Moyes] said that [they needed an offer they cannot refuse] and it will take ‘the Bank of England money’ for him to leave. I actually [asked] him that question in the press conference, and he gave that great response, by the way.
“In my opinion, and I’ve always had this belief, I believe that Rice is a hundred-million player, I believe he is a £100m player. He’s that good.
“He’s 21 and it’s so scary to think how good he will be when he’s like 26/27. That’s the scary thing.
“What really annoys me is when people say, ‘Oh, Rice is overrated, Rice isn’t good enough’ and it’s like fans from teams who only watch him twice a season when their team plays West Ham home and away, or when he plays for England. It’s the only time they ever watch him.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what the journalist had to say, he seems to believe that the English midfielder would cost somewhere in the region of £100m to sign from the Hammers.
Do you believe that Declan Rice is a £100m player?
No, he's not that good
Yes, without a doubt
While Rice does have four years left on his contract at the London Stadium, a market value of £44.55m according to Transfermarkt would not suggest that he is a £100m player.
However, with what Moyes had to say on how much it would cost to sign the player, perhaps West Ham value the midfielder more toward Thomas’ valuation than what Transfermarkt values him at.