West Ham could be set to land a huge amount of money if they decide to sell Declan Rice this summer.
Rice has come through the academy at West Ham and at just 23-years old, he’s already the regular captain for the Hammers and guided them into the Europa League last season.
Given that Rice cost the Hammers no transfer fee, then anything that he leaves for will be a huge profit for the board and according to the CIES football Observatory – a group which has developed a scientific way to measure a player’s transfer market value – Rice’s currently stands as highly as £75 million.
Is Declan Rice worth £125 million?
Yes!
No!
This would in turn be a record amount of money the Hammers have ever received in a transfer fee for a player, however, they could be in luck as a Spanish outlet is reporting that Rice’s club from when he was younger, Chelsea, are willing to pay £120 million for the midfielder.
If West Ham managed to secure an extra £50 million on top of Rice’s market value then it would see him leave as the most expensive English player of all time which would then see the Hammers with a lot of money to thicken out their current squad.
Rice has played every single minute in the league this season apart from when he missed the Watford victory, so would obviously be a major blow if he was to leave, however, if the West Ham board see Chelsea come in with an offer anywhere near that reported transfer fee, they would find it hard to turn down given the need for upgrades in key areas of the pitch such as striker.
TIF Thoughts Rice potentially leaving West Ham…
Rice is still just 23-years old and has a contract until 2024 which could be why Chelsea are willing to smash through his reported market value, which will be music to the ears of the Wes Ham board as the more money they recoup from player sales, the less of their own money that has to be pumped into the club’s coffers.
If Rice is able to guide West Ham into another European finish in the Premier League and potentially go deep in the Europa League, it would not be a surprise to see that £75 million market value increase.
West Ham fans and David Moyes would surely be gutted to see someone like Rice leave who ranks top for tackles made, completed passes into the final third and number of touches but their squad could be fully transformed by spending £125 million as that’s something they’ve never done in a single transfer window.
In other news: Pablo Fornals reacts to emerging news involving West Ham