West Ham midfielder Declan Rice could be available for around £75m next summer, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.
Chelsea, Manchester United and even Liverpool are said to be keen on the England international and Jacobs says a transfer at the end of the season is on the cards:
As previously reported, Chelsea really want Rice (always been a priority) and believe a summer move may be possible for under £75 million. Multiple EPL clubs looking. Don’t rule out #LFC. #MUFC keen. No clear frontrunner yet because Rice expecting plenty of concrete interest.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) December 1, 2022
Fans on Twitter are somewhat divided over whether Rice would be worth the fee. Some believe it would be a bargain, while others feel that the player is still overpriced:
Just can’t see Declan picking anyone but us champions league or not, his family are all blues 💙 if we’re serious about signing him we’ll get him imo
— Tom Clifford ⭐⭐ (@tomcliffordcfc) December 1, 2022
I really hope we don’t do this, smart recruitment means not spending anywhere near this for Rice, If he wasn’t a chelsea boy we wouldn’t be going after him
— Wasotter 🏴🇵🇹 (@CFC_Waso) December 1, 2022
There’s no way he’s turning down Chelsea.
— Don Boehly (@donboehlyera) December 1, 2022
Under 75m is a bargain
— Kxngkayde6️⃣🤬 (@kxngkayde6) December 1, 2022
He’s not though is he
— Bainesy9 (@jbaines07) December 1, 2022
He’s 2 pounds 40 max
— Teecap (@Vossovv) December 1, 2022
That’s actually cheap considering his age + experience+ English tax + no need of “settling in tax” which has taken havertz 3 years and still doing nothing for us basically
— Hayasaka Ai (@hayasaka_sai17) December 1, 2022
It should be pointed that Rice is captain of his club at the age of 23 and he has played in a European Championship final for England. He is not an unproven player by any means so paying £75m for someone of his quality and experience is quite reasonable.
There are fears that competition from other teams could push up the price further but, if the Blues do qualify for the Champions League, you would think Rice would make Stamford Bridge his favoured destination, making any move easy to negotiate.