A move to Liverpool may interest England midfielder Declan Rice next summer.
That is according to journalist Dean Jones, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest news from Anfield.
According to Fabrizio Romano in his column for CaughtOffside, the transfer guru has suggested that Rice is one of Liverpool’s midfield transfer targets for next summer, alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
However, any deal for the West Ham captain is unlikely to be cheap, with David Moyes previously suggesting that it would take a figure around £150m to persuade the club to sell the 23-year-old.
But Jones believes that Rice is “open-minded” about his next move and questioned why the midfielder wouldn’t be interested in a move to one of the biggest clubs on the planet.
He said: “Why would he not be interested in one of the biggest clubs in the world, especially if they were going to invest heavily at the end of this season to get back to where they were and make sure that they don’t start to fall away?
“I think Declan Rice is very open-minded about what comes next, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
TIF Thoughts on Jones’ comments about Declan Rice’s future…
We think that next summer might be when Rice decides it’s time to leave the London Stadium, with the 34-time England international likely to want to test himself in the Champions League now that he is coming into his mid-20s.
He would be a stunning signing for Liverpool, with the London-born midfielder being able to attack and defend in equal measure in the middle of the park, as shown by the fact he notched five goals and four assists in 50 appearances for the Irons last season according to Transfermarkt.
Meanwhile, he also ranks in the top 5% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues and European competition for interceptions per 90 minutes (2.69) in the past year, according to FBref.
Therefore, we think that a move to Liverpool for Rice is something that would suit both parties, with the West Ham midfielder having the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs on the planet, while the Merseyside club would be getting their hands on one of the country’s best talents.