West Ham have reportedly upped their transfer demands for star midfielder Declan Rice, with the Hammers willing to accept £120m for the England international.
90min claim that the Irons would reluctantly take £120m for Rice in the summer transfer window, a fee which could break multiple records should a club reach these demands for the midfielder.
Last year saw Jack Grealish join Manchester City for a British record fee of £100m as per BBC Sport. Whilst Paul Pogba’s £89m move to Manchester United in 2016, as per BBC Sport, remains the highest fee paid for a central midfielder.
Moreover, if a Premier League club was to make a move for Rice, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United linked with the West Ham star, a £120m deal would break Grealish’s record for an English top-flight transfer.
Rice’s future with the Irons remains undecided. The midfielder is currently having his best season yet for the club, with the 23-year-old taking the armband for most of the campaign with Mark Noble dropped to the bench.
With the Hammers still in Europe and having a realistic shot of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League via the top-four, Rice could well remain in east London should West Ham do the unthinkable this season.
Despite £120m fee, Rice is too good for West Ham to sell
It’s rare for a club to find a player so valuable to them that a British record transfer fee is deemed not enough to pry them away, yet in the case of West Ham and Rice, that’s the situation the Irons find themselves in.
Indeed, Rice has become the lifeblood of West Ham’s midfield this season. And with the 23-year-old taking the captain’s armband for most of the campaign, the England international is on his way to becoming a legend in east London.
Yet even if a Chelsea or United were to make a £120m bid for Rice, West Ham will find it impossible to replace the midfielder in the market despite the enormous funds the club will have to seek an alternative.
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