Darren Ambrose: £100million is not enough for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice
Darren Ambrose believes West Ham should keep Declan Rice at the club even if it means risking losing him for free as his current contract draws closer to its conclusion.
Rice’s current contract runs until the summer of 2024, with the Irons holding an option for an extra year.
Despite his value currently being high, Ambrose believes £100million isn’t enough for the midfielder.
Talking on talkSPORT drive on Tuesday 28 June, Ambrose said: “Let’s take last season when they had a fantastic Europa League run, would they swap that for anything?
“I think they’d rather lose him for free and keep him in the team.
“Declan Rice was a key part of the team that got them to the Europa League in the first place and then instrumental in them getting to the semi-final.
“If he could be a part of that again for the next two seasons then I don’t think £100million is enough for them.”
Can’t say no to that
Rice is certainly worth a lot to West Ham, but whether the club could realistically turn down a £100million bid for the midfielder is the real question.
The England man is at the peak value at present with his value only likely to decline from now until the culmination of his contract.
If a fee that big was smartly reinvested back into the squad then David Moyes’ squad would certainly look more well-rounded.
Rice will play Champions League football at some point in his career, and there is a good chance that he would want to do that with West Ham.
If West Ham really want the England captain to tie his long-term future to the Hammers then they really need to start surrounding the 23-year-old with quality.
The England international could be the catalyst for the Irons challenging for the Champions League spots in the near future.
Unfortunately, he won’t be able to do that all by himself.
It is time for the Hammers to show some real ambition in the summer transfer window.