Ex-England international Carlton Palmer believes David Moyes could be forced to sell Declan Rice to Chelsea this summer in order to raise funds to spend in the transfer market.
Rice, who used to play for Chelsea’s academy, has been heavily linked with a return to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks after another impressive season in the claret and blue shirt of West Ham.
The Hammers midfielder, who is valued at £58.5million and with three years left on his current deal at the London Stadium, it could be the perfect time for Moyes and co to cash in on the 22-year-old.
However, Palmer believes if any deal was sanctioned some Hammers fans would go “crazy”. Speaking to Football FanCast, he had this to say on the situation:
“It’s already been made very clear to him that there’s not a lot of money available at West Ham. And I’m assuming if he wants to do business like he’d like to do it, he might have to sell somebody like Declan Rice. [But] the West Ham supporters would go crazy over that.”
TIF Thoughts on West Ham potentially selling Declan Rice…
Although, as Palmer claims, it could cause huge frustration amongst West Ham fans – with Rice a regular in a superb domestic season for the east Londoners – it may actually be the best solution for Moyes to make sure his side is strong enough to compete on all fronts next season – with the added pressure of Europa League football.
If Rice is sold, Jesse Lingard could be brought back to the club on a permanent basis following his half-season loan spell from January. With the Red Devils previously valuing Lingard at a supposed £25m, it could be a good reinvestment if Rice was to depart.
Given Lingard played alongside Rice last term, effectively replacing him with a former player may not appease the fans too much, which probably adds weight to Palmer’s claim that supporters would not react well to such a scenario in which Rice departs.