West Ham United

West Ham United

Premier League • England

Declan Rice future: Insider reveals West Ham captain’s preferred next move amid Man Utd, Chelsea transfer battle

Declan Rice Liverpool transfer talk gathering pace

A journalist has detailed where Declan Rice would like to go when leaving West Ham, with a huge 2023 transfer looking likely for the midfielder.

Rice has made over 200 appearances for West Ham since coming off the bench for his first-team debut in May 2017. He has gone on to become one of the club’s most important players and was named captain last summer following Mark Noble’s retirement.

Rice has helped West Ham move into the Premier League’s top seven in recent years, which has seen them compete in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.

The Irons are enduring a poor campaign this time around, though. They have lost all of their last five league matches and sit in 17th place, above the relegation zone only through goal difference.

Some West Ham supporters have questioned Rice’s attitude in recent weeks. He has been seen throwing his arms in the air regularly when his team-mates make mistakes or fail to help him out of tough situations.

It would not be a surprise if Rice’s mind was elsewhere. He is in the final 18 months of his West Ham contract and rumours about a potential transfer away from the London Stadium are hotting up.

During his World Cup campaign, the midfield enforcer admitted to his desire of competing in the Champions League and winning big trophies, just like his England team-mates. Rice will almost definitely need to move away from West Ham to make this dream happen.

On December 21, Irons legend Noble admitted the club has ‘no chance’ of keeping Rice from major Prem rivals. This is because of the amount of money which is on offer.

West Ham secretly admit defeat, but Moyes remains hopeful

A recent report from The Athletic claims West Ham have ‘conceded internally’ they must sell Rice at the end of the season. This is due to him rejecting several contract offers.

David Moyes is intent on keeping the 23-year-old for the long run. He says he will put up ‘a big fight’ to prevent a big-money transfer from going through.

But all signs point to an exit happening in the summer. After all, it will be one of West Ham’s last opportunities to sell for a big fee.

CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs has now provided his information on Rice’s future. He believes the player’s valuation will fall from £100million to £70m due to his expiring contract.

And while teams like Manchester United and Manchester City hope to snare Rice, he is more likely to link up with Chelsea because of his desire to remain in the capital.

Declan Rice ‘remains a priority for Chelsea’ – journalist

“Declan Rice remains a priority for Chelsea. Rice, as he said at the World Cup, is keen to move to a Champions League club,” Jacobs said in his column for Si and Dan Talk Chelsea.

“UCL football is by no means guaranteed for Chelsea next season but Rice is looking at the bigger picture. Arsenal could easily come into the conversation as well and Manchester United or Liverpool can’t be discounted.

“I am told, though, Rice would ideally prefer a London move. But it won’t be a dealbreaker-factor in his final decision.

“West Ham are resigned to losing Rice in the summer and for a price closer to £70m than the £100m+ quoted over the summer.”

This will come as a huge boost to Chelsea. They appear to be in pole position to sign Rice as soon as he comes on the market.

Arsenal could put up a fight. However, there are a couple of reasons why Rice will probably reject their advances and go to Chelsea instead.

First of all, he has a strong affinity for the Blues after spending time in their academy. Rice played for Chelsea until the age of 14, when he was released and subsequently decided to join West Ham.

Another big factor to consider is his relationship with Chelsea star Mason Mount. They are close friends from their time in the Chelsea academy together. And Mount will do all he can to convince Rice on joining Chelsea over his other suitors.

Meanwhile, West Ham have reportedly reignited their interest in a Man City ace.