By Mike Southey

24th Mar, 2023 | 5:10pm

West Ham United transfer news on Declan Rice after England win v Italy

West Ham will not be drawn on the price tag required to prise Declan Rice away from the London Stadium this summer, according to Claret and Hugh

The Hammers source has reported that club insiders are primed to let the captain’s form through to the end of the season dictate the likely cost with interested parties required to pay the going rate as well as a prospective bidding war pushing up the total amount that would be received. 

Arsenal and Chelsea are the two big names to consistently be linked with the holding midfielder, although nothing concrete has emerged from that so far.

Sharing the news on their website, they wrote: “West Ham are refusing to put a price tag on Declan Rice as his summer move draws near.

“It is now well known the Hammers skipper will be on his way with Arsenal and Chelsea allegedly to the forefront of the chase.”

The 24-year-old struck the opener for England on Thursday evening as Gareth Southgate’s men recorded a valuable win over Italy in Naples in an overall performance which further outlined the credentials of the West Ham man. 

Desire

Ahead of any anticipated transfer activity in the coming months, the future of Rice will come down to where he sees himself plying his trade then it will be up to the respective clubs to make the deal happen. 

Rice will rightly expect to be a key figure and to be wanted by his next club, as much as he enjoys a significant platform at West Ham just now. It is understandable that the player will have aspirations to play at the highest level possible whilst competing for silverware but the grass isn’t always greener. 

That remains to be seen.

There is still plenty for David Moyes’ men to play for this season with the anomaly of Premier League survival competing against the prospect of realistic Conference League glory on the continent in an intriguing balancing act of priorities over the closing stages of the season.

The future of Rice is a subplot not far away from the prominence of the bigger picture, as above, in the conclusion of this campaign for West Ham United.