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West Ham United: Fabrizio Romano discusses Declan Rice’s future

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Image for West Ham United: Fabrizio Romano discusses Declan Rice’s future

Noted journalist Fabrizio Romano has been discussing Declan Rice and a potential exit away from West Ham United at some point in the future.

Rice is someone that has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium for some time now, with reports going back as far as the summer window of 2020 hinting that clubs could be after him.

It’s understandable why, as he has been described as a ‘rare talent’ in the past and put in a great shift at this summer’s European Championship, playing in every match, acting as a shield for a team that only conceded two goals during the competition as he finished in the top two in both interceptions and tackles averaged per game for England (via WhoScored).

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To kick off this quiz on West Ham's 2019/20 season, which side did the Hammers' first win of the term come against?

The club that he’s been linked to most recently has been Manchester United, with reports suggesting that they were after him this past summer, and speaking on the latest edition of the Here We Go podcast, Romano claimed that it isn’t just Manchester United that are after him, and that he is on the radar of a number of clubs who could make a move for him in the coming months:

“They want a defensive midfielder. Declan Rice has always been on their radar and Declan Rice, I want to clarify, it’s a big race. It’s one of the biggest races for a midfielder together with [Youri] Tielemans.

“Because Declan Rice is a player who is on the list for Chelsea, for Manchester City and for Manchester United, so it’s going to be huge for Declan Rice to see what is going to happen.”

TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano’s comments about Declan Rice and West Ham United…

Do you think West Ham will sell Declan Rice next summer?

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No

Considering Rice’s contract isn’t set to expire until 2024, West Ham aren’t necessarily in a position where they have to sell him this summer, but given the amount of clubs that are supposedly after him according to Romano, it seems as if they are likely going to have plenty of offers coming in for him.

And whilst West Ham United have made some big strides recently in terms of their development as a club, mainly in qualifying for the Europa League, it still leaves them behind some of the bigger powerhouses in the country such as the teams that are supposedly interested in him.

So if West Ham want to keep him – and reports have suggested that he would turn down any contract offers in an attempt to force through a move to a different club – they will probably have to take a further step forward this year to have any chance of keeping hold of him.

In other news: ‘West Ham would jump all over that’ – Journalist drops encouraging WHUFC claim amid reports

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Freelance sports journalist & broadcaster.