Declan Rice price tag undecided as West Ham United wait on contract extension option – Fabrizio Romano
West Ham United are still not sure what price they want to put on Declan Rice with his contract stalemate ongoing, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 23-year-old has been the subject of interest from Chelsea most significantly who are keen to bring him back to the club after releasing him as a 16-year-old prior to signing professional terms at the London Stadium.
The England international still has plenty of time left on his current deal and it could be extended further if necessary which makes the Irons’ rush much less significant.
“I reported last summer that Declan Rice was not going to sign a new deal with West Ham and this is still the case; no agreement, so there are good chances for Declan to leave in the summer,” Romano said to Caught Offside.
“I’m not sure about the price tag yet, as West Ham have not decided and they still feel strong on the price having an option to extend the contract for one more year.”
Money or success
This is a very difficult question that David Moyes and the West Ham board have to ask themselves ahead of what could be a hugely significant summer in the transfer market.
Rice is undoubtedly one of the best holding midfielders in world football and it would likely be incredibly difficult for the Hammers to sign somebody who could possibly hold a candle to him.
But if Chelsea, or any other club for that matter, were to come in and offer £120million or more to sign him, then it would be very tough to turn that down and keep him.
With his contract up in the near future, the Irons could even be forced to sell him in the summer to get the most out of him financially but with this season already looking troublesome on the pitch, losing their star man could make things extremely difficult.
There will be many West Ham fans glad they aren’t the ones making this decision.