Chelsea unwilling to pay £100million for West Ham ace Declan Rice, January move ruled out
Chelsea will not be going after West Ham midfielder Declan Rice in January or anytime soon, according to The Athletic journalist Simon Johnson.
The Blues need to make some quality additions next month after some uninspiring performances of recent, but the Hammers ace is off the cards.
While Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is a fan of the England international, Rice’s contract situation at the London Stadium and the fact that West Ham value him at around £100million means a deal is not likely to happen.
Johnson told a Blues fan in Athletic Mail Bag: “I can’t see it happening any time soon either, despite Tuchel liking the player.
“Rice has a contract until 2024, with West Ham United also having an option to extend it by another 12 months.
“It means they won’t budge in their valuation of £100 million and up, which is a figure Chelsea are unwilling to pay.”
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The Champions League defending champions are huge admirers of the Irons ace, with former boss Frank Lampard also interested in bringing their former academy player back while in the dugout.
Rice is also known to be open to playing in Europe’s elite competition, but it seems he will not be returning to Stamford Bridge.
They have enough options in their midfield, and while they are open to adding someone with Rice’s quality, meeting the asking price of West Ham is a problem for them.
It is safe to say Chelsea are out of the race, and while that does not rule out other suitors, a January deal just does not look likely.
Despite winning just two of their last nine games across all competitions, David Moyes will still fancy his side’s top-four chances, and losing Rice next month is the last thing the Hammers want.
They are looking to strengthen their squad instead, and the quality of the signings they make would determine how 2021-22 goes for them.
Finishing outside the Champions League places will deal a massive blow on their chances of holding on to Rice, and some of the bigwigs will be monitoring the situation and could be ready to pay £100million for his services.
In other West Ham news, an amazing attacker is making personal arrangements for Hammers switch in January.
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