Ex-WHU Employee has been speaking on the latest edition of The West Ham Way podcast about all things relating to West Ham United.
One of the topics he spent some time on was Declan Rice’s future at the London Stadium.
The 22-year-old had a fantastic season for West Ham as he earned an average league rating of 7.01 from his 32 appearances.
This ranked him as the Hammers’ fourth-best player, and it seems as if both he and Tomas Soucek are not for sale.
Ex said: (58:28) “I have been told that Soucek and Rice, who I guess are going to be our most in-demand players, are not for sale.
“Although I do believe that Man United, Man City, and Chelsea could be sniffing around for Rice so it’s [going to] be interesting to see what goes on there, particularly, if he has a good Euros as well.”
Do you think that Rice will stay at West Ham?
Yes, no one will be able to afford him
No, he could leave
TIF Thoughts on Rice…
Rice was the subject of intense links to Chelsea last season when Frank Lampard was the manager, but the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City are keen this summer.
You can see why given just how important he has been to the Hammers’ season, but it appears as if the club will not be selling either Soucek or Rice this summer, which we think is a great thing for West Ham.
Both Soucek and Rice formed a brilliant partnership, and you would think breaking that up could cause problems.
Therefore, if what Ex says is true, Rice looks set to stay at the London Stadium for at least another summer but could a huge bid test the Hammers’ resolve?
We will have to wait and see.
In other news: ‘Moyes has been told’ – Ex reveals exciting West Ham transfer news