West Ham United could be offered a “big money deal” to sell Declan Rice to Chelsea by Blues chairman Todd Boehly
That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest news from the London Stadium.
It’s been no secret that Chelsea have held a particularly long standing interest in the services of Rice, however a move has never developed and the 32-time England international has remained in east London over the last few seasons.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who has been dubbed as an “explosion” by West Ham manager David Moyes, has even admitted that he was a boyhood Chelsea fan, though the West Ham academy graduate has remained focused on his performances on the pitch for the Irons throughout his Premier League career.
But O’Rourke believes that new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has plenty of money to burn in the transfer market which could give him in an advantage in the race to sign Rice.
“It seems Todd Boehly does have the money available to spend big on transfers as well and definitely makes him a big runner in the race for Declan Rice, because they could offer Declan Rice and West Ham a big money deal if they were to move for him as well.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments
We believe that despite O’Rourke’s comments, West Ham fans will be relaxed about the future of Rice, who has remained the consummate professional throughout his time at the London Stadium.
However, he would be a huge loss should Chelsea secure his signature, ranking in the top 3% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition for interceptions per 90 minutes (2.81) and top 8% for pass completion rate (89.9%) over the last 365 days according to FBref.
Therefore, we believe that whilst there is nothing to suggest that a Rice departure is imminent, we believe that the east London club should be demanding a top dollar fee if any Premier League club was to try and secure his services.
Boehly is another Ken Bates – thinks it’s all about him, not the club. He might have a lot of money, but he’s a big reason that Declan would be advised to avoid that plastic club like the plague.