West Ham to use Jack Grealish price-tag as ‘benchmark’ for Declan Rice sale
West Ham are likely to use Jack Grealish’s £100m move from Aston Villa to Manchester City as the “benchmark” for a potential Declan Rice sale this summer, according to 90Min.
The Athletic journalist Roshane Thomas reported [1 February], the 39-time England international star looks set to leave the London Stadium, with a big Premier League move on the horizon this summer.
And a move to one of the Premier League’s most elite clubs may well be on the cards, with Sky Sports [17 January] reporting that the midfielder is expected to have a whole host of suitors this summer, including Arsenal and Chelsea.
TalkSPORT presenter Jim White, speaking live on White and Jordan (Monday 6 February) revealed that West Ham United want £120million plus add-ons for the sale of Declan Rice in the summer.
And 90Min [7 February] have now reported that the Hammers are unlikely to do any business for the midfielder for anything less than £100m, with “Jack Grealish’s move from Aston Villa to Manchester City in the summer of 2021 likely to be used as a benchmark” for any potential sale.
West Ham’s right
Considering the huge fees paid for players over the last couple of years, it is well within the Hammers’ right to demand such an astronomical price tag to sell their most prized asset.
David Moyes said in a recent press conference that Rice will undoubtedly be “a British transfer record and more” when he leaves the London Stadium, which cannot be argued against.
The England international has become one of Europe’s best and most coveted midfielders over the past 18 months, proving a sensational and consistent servant for the Hammers since his emergence in 2017, going on to make over 200 appearances for the East London outfit over the last five years.
This is a player ready for the grandest stages in football, and it is clear he won’t achieve that at West Ham. If clubs want to take him on, then they’d certainly need to pay more than the Grealish figure, as the 24-year-old’s current ceiling is arguably higher than the Manchester City superstar.
£120m price tag seems the ideal price for the Hammers to sell, and if that’s true, then the East Londoners could well be set to pocket a very worthy sum.