Sam Delaney has been speaking on the latest instalment of the U Irons podcast, where he revealed he’s confident that Declan Rice will remain at the club this summer.
The 22-year-old midfielder has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium in the past as he continues to impress for David Moyes’ men.
Rice has been instrumental as the Hammers have defied expectation to climb to fifth in the Premier League standings, and his performances have reportedly caught the eye of some of the division’s top teams.
However, Delaney doesn’t believe that the England international will depart the capital club this summer and thinks only an astronomical bid could tempt Moyes to part with his prized possession.
He said: “Well, my gut is that if we finish the season strong, then I don’t have any concerns, really, about Rice going this season – unless a stupid offer comes in, which I would say you’re talking about someone coming in £120m-plus.
“And then I think the club are duty-bound to look at that. And I think even as West Ham fans, it’s a bit like when Rio [Ferdinand] went for £18m back in the day, part of you thinks well, that’s an insane amount of money and he’s never going to be worth more than that.”
TIF Thoughts on Rice…
The youngster has formed an incredible partnership in the West Ham engine room alongside Tomas Soucek this season, and the prospect of playing European football with the Hammers in 2021/22 could be enough to convince Rice to stay for at least another year.
Many players before him have made the leap to one of England’s biggest clubs too early and paid the price, such as Jack Rodwell, and Rice will likely be eager to avoid the same fate as those that have gone before him.
Staying at West Ham could be the best option for his career in the long-term as he’s guaranteed game time under Moyes’ tutelage, and we can’t see anyone stumping up a large enough fee to take the £54m-rated man away from the capital club this summer anyway.