 |
| Declan Rice of England disappointed during the World Cup match between England v France at the Al Bayt Stadium on December 10, 2022 in Al Khor Qatar. |
Chelsea leading the race for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, also a target for Manchester United and Manchester City.
As per The Athletic, Chelsea are in the pole position to re-sign their academy product as Declan Rice, who is open to joining a club which matches his conviction in near future. The West Ham United captain is also a target for Manchester United and Manchester City.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly must have taken note of Rice’s intention as the American businessman has been bankrolling huge funds into Chelsea’s revival since the departure of Roman Abramovich.
Declan Rice has already rejected a number of contract extensions and will likely leave West Ham soon. So this upcoming summer could be the best possible time for the Hammers to secure a sizeable fee for the English international, whose existing deal runs down till 2024.
The east Londoners are yet to reach a conclusion on whether to trigger the one-year clause in his contract. But one thing they have digested is that they won’t be able to block his move to a far greater club in stature.
His performance in the World Cup has only cemented everyone’s belief, and the player’s dream to play in the UEFA Champions League might get fulfilled very soon. Rice recently said, “One hundred per cent, I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years, I’ve been saying that.”
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in. I really want to do that.”
Manchester United and Manchester City are also vying for his signature, as the youngster is deemed as the most modern midfielder in England. There were serious reservations about Rice’s longevity and development. But his improvement has been so rapid he will explode massively in the next couple of seasons.
Chelsea will try extensively to fend off the competition. But both Manchester United and Manchester City will see it to the last phase. For now, the Blues are best placed to secure the services of the English international.
