West Ham hopes of keeping Declan Rice boosted by Chelsea sanctions
West Ham United may have inadvertently received a major boost in their hopes to keep vice-captain Declan Rice at the club this summer.
Chelsea had been one of the Premier League sides most keen on signing the 23-year-old, who used to be in their youth setup, at the end of the 2021-22 season [Express].
But today (Thursday 10 March), Blues owner Roman Abramovich has had all of his UK assets frozen by the government as a result of his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the midst of his invasion of Ukraine [BBC].
As a result of the freeze, Chelsea Football Club cannot partake in any transfer business nor sell match tickets or merchandise.
They have been granted special dispensation to carry on functioning but they are under very strict financial laws which may cripple their hopes of success on the pitch.
Having this effective transfer ban in place is a small sigh of relief for the Irons as it now stops them from making an approach for Rice this summer.
That doesn’t mean the England international won’t leave as the Manchester Evening News believe that Manchester United are now in pole position to prize him away from the London Stadium.
United though might not be in a position to pursue Rice if they are unable to qualify for the Champions League in 2022-23.
The Red Devils are in a big predicament at the moment with their top-four hopes slowly fading away and their only chance of returning to the biggest continental competition in club football being by winning it this season.
It seems highly unlikely though which may well be the final piece of superb news that the Irons need to be convinced that their star man is going nowhere.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers may hold the advantage in the race to sign this stunning striker from Europe.
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