Football journalist David Ornstein has been sharing the latest update surrounding West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and his future at the London Stadium.
This comes after Ornstein recently co-hosted the latest episode of The Athletic’s Ornstein & Chapman Podcast where he spoke about the latest goings-on at the east London club.
After being previously linked with a move to Chelsea, Ornstein had this to say on West Ham’s current stance on their midfield man.
He said: “As far as I understand it, the view of the West Ham hierarchy is that Declan Rice is not for sale under any circumstances.
“Things haven’t been smooth. He liked the tweet by Mark Noble criticising the departure of Grady Diangana.
“However, people I’ve spoken to around the club say Rice will not be leaving during this transfer window, that West Ham are aware of the interest from Chelsea, especially from Frank Lampard, who we understand is extremely keen to bring Rice in and convert him to a top-class central defender at Stamford Bridge.
“These links I’m sure will continue. I’m not saying that it won’t happen. I’m just saying the view of West Ham.”
The 21-year-old made his senior debut at West Ham back in 2017 when he was just 18 years old. Since then, the Englishman has gone on to make 110 appearances for the east London club, establishing himself as an important figure in the squad.
The 2019/20 season saw Rice, who is currently valued at £44.55 million, play every single minute of Premier League action for David Moyes’ side, earning himself a season rating of 7.01/10 (per WhoScored).
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TIF Thoughts…
Given how Rice played in every league game for West Ham last season, this just proves how important he is for the club and how they would presumably want to keep hold of him for as long as possible.
Unfortunately for the West Ham fans, it appears that the rumours linking him with a move to Chelsea won’t be going away anytime soon, despite the club’s supposed reluctance to sell him according to Ornstein.