Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on West Ham United’s Declan Rice and a potential move to Chelsea.
The 22-year-old has long been a target for some of the country’s bigger clubs, with Chelsea being one of the teams that have been linked with a move for him this summer.
The Athletic has claimed that Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has ‘spoken to staff members about Rice and is believed to appreciate his qualities’, and that West Ham value him at as much as £100m, as well as reporting that Rice has turned down two contract offers from the Hammers.
And speaking about the situation on The Football Terrace’s The Done Deal Show, Jones claimed that the deal is unlikely to happen this summer, but hinted that West Ham United fans shouldn’t be too comfortable with the idea of seeing Rice at the London Stadium long-term:
“I think Chelsea were definitely put off by the fact that West Ham threw a £100m price tag on him. Chelsea have always seen it as more of a £60m-70m signing if they were going to do it.
“Declan Rice has been excited about the idea of going back to Chelsea, there’s no doubt about that. But as it stands right now, he’s not going to throw his toys out the pram and demand a move. He’s a level-headed guy, he knows that if he continues the path he’s been on, he’ll be fine.
“Big season coming up for West Ham, though, and probably one of the only reasons that Rice is agitated right now is because West Ham have been so slow in the transfer market and haven’t built on where they were last season when they got that European qualification.
“As it stands, Declan Rice is a West Ham player and will remain so.”
TIF Thoughts on Dean Jones’ comments about Declan Rice at West Ham United…
Do you expect Rice to stay this summer?
Yes
No
If Rice doesn’t make the whole transfer situation messy and public and goes about his business in a mature way, then there really shouldn’t be any complaints from West Ham United fans if a deal does go through – either this summer or in the future.
There’s no doubt that Rice has been a great servant for the Hammers over the years, picking up their Player of the Year award in 2019/20 and back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards in 2016/17 and 2017/18. And after qualifying for Europe last season, short of winning a trophy for them, there’s not a lot more that Rice can do to help take the club any further.
Indeed, the only way he might be able to help would be to move on so that they can invest in the squad. So as long as they can get a decent return for him – and any of the numbers that Jones mentioned would represent that – fans should wish him well and allow him to move on with good grace.
In other news: Finance expert drops worrying West Ham takeover claim