West Ham United’s Declan Rice is seemingly a wanted man.
The Declan Rice rumours have started up again and it’s something that the West Ham fans won’t want to hear, especially considering the club who is seemingly keen on his services.
Sky Sports claim that West Ham’s London rivals, Chelsea, are keen on Rice and they have the young midfielder on their radar for when the transfer window re-opens.
Frank Lampard’s men are pushing for Champions League football, plus the Hammers are fighting relegation, so that doesn’t help their cause in trying to keep the highly-rated 21-year-old.
Another key decision which could sway Rice deciding to leave the London Stadium for Stamford Bridge is his relationship with Mason Mount.
Both started their youth careers at Chelsea and are childhood friends, so the possibility of making that switch across London to familiar territory and seeing a familiar face could be tempting for the Englishmen.
Both Mount, who has scored six Premier League goals this season, and Rice are also England internationals, and with his rumour swirling around, you wouldn’t bet against the Chelsea man bantering with his mate about it.
Either way, Rice is a crucial player for the Hammers and if they want to push for Europe, as they aimed for at the start of the season, then they have to keep their best talents.
Mark Noble is ageing in the middle of the park and may need a more regular replacement next term.
The last thing West Ham need is his midfield partner leaving via the exit door because that will perhaps mean having to replace two key players in such important areas, which isn’t easy at the best of times.
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