No enquiries made for Declan Rice ahead of West Ham United summer exit amid Arsenal links
West Ham United have received no enquiries as of yet for Declan Rice ahead of his supposed summer exit despite links to Arsenal, according to Claret & Hugh.
The Hammers are resigned to losing their key man this summer with the England international intent on playing Champions League football next season, and London neighbours Arsenal and Chelsea have constantly been touted as the most interested parties.
According to The Times (28 February), Rice could cost around £80million in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal emerging as a strong contender for his signature.
However, despite those links, key West Ham United contact Claret & Hugh [30 April] has cleared things up regarding the potential Declan Rice saga.
“The reality is that there still has not been a single inquiry from anywhere for our captain although that’s not to say there won’t be of course.
“However, as of now, the situation remains as it has dome for the past four years with Declan still very much a West Ham player.
“But a key Claret and Hugh source at the London Stadium made the position clear: “There has never been any sort of inquiry for Declan since he has been with the club and that remains the case”, the report reveals.
Let the saga begin
It will please West Ham United fans to know that the club have not received any approaches or enquiries for their key man with the club’s key ambitions yet to be completed.
The club still need to secure their Premier League status for next season, as well as their tremendous exploits in the Europa Conference League where they have set up a semi-final date with Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
West Ham United won’t want arguably their best player to become distracted and embroiled in a long-running saga which could turn his focus away from the club’s ambitions between now and the end of the season, but that isn’t to say the saga won’t arrive soon.
Certainly, there may not have been new enquiries as of yet but the club will start to field calls in the next couple of weeks given the potential auction for Rice’s services for next season.
However, the £75m-£80m fee mooted to secure his signature we feel might not go down well with the Hammers supporters and the club should try their best to command a higher fee despite Rice only having two years to run on his contract from this summer.
The East Londoners will be undergoing a massive rebuild of their own, and in order to properly address the weaknesses of the squad, the club will need all the money they can get. West Ham are resigned to losing him, but they must ensure they get the most out of the sale.