Declan Rice sale not urgent for West Ham United as pre-season update emerges
West Ham United captain Declan Rice is not due to report back in time for the club’s pre-season tour of Australia in July which removes the need for an urgent sale, according to the Evening Standard.
David Sullivan recently told talkSPORT (8 June) that the England international had played his last game for the club and they were expecting imminent bids after the conclusion of their season.
David Moyes would like to avoid a summer-long transfer saga, but West Ham are in no rush to sell Rice and are willing to let a bidding war commence between the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
The Evening Standard wrote: “The fact that Rice is not due to report back in time for July’s pre-season tour to Australia further removes the need for urgency, with West Ham set to head Down Under without a host of first-team stars who will be given an extended break following this month’s internationals.”
Bidding war
There is sense to both Moyes’ wish for a speedy sale and West Ham wanting to create a bidding war for Rice’s services.
The Scottish manager will want to move on with the next stage of his career in the dugout at the London Stadium, and the 24-year-old’s sale will allow the club to scout potential replacements in the middle of the park.
Moyes will ideally want any incomings to be in and around the squad for the pre-season tour of Australia, whereas the Hammers hierarchy will have their eyes firmly set on a lucrative payday.
The longer they hold out for Rice, the higher the bids should be. Chelsea have already shown a willingness to spend the big bucks when in direct competition for a player’s services, as proven by their transfers for Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk.
Hopefully, a compromise can be struck between Moyes and the board, and both end up getting the result they want.