By Daniel Feliciano

18th Oct, 2022 | 1:14pm

Declan Rice won't sign a new contract with West Ham United - journalist

Declan Rice ‘won’t be signing any contracts’ with West Ham to tie him to the club as he eyes a potential exit in 2023, according to Paul Brown.

The central midfielder and captain has been long linked with a nine-figure move away from West Ham, with Chelsea exploring a deal for the 2023 summer window and Liverpool also entering the race for his signature.

And despite the Hammers’ attempts to tie Rice down to a new long-term deal, with his current deal running until 2025, journalist Brown told GiveMeSport [17 October] that won’t be happening.

“I don’t think there is anyone pushing that hard at the moment to sign Declan Rice, but I think he’s trying to keep his options open and won’t be signing any contracts that tie him to the club and knock down a move in the near future,” he said.

Rice has made 209 appearances for the Hammers so far, and has featured in every Premier League game so far this season.

Blow

It’s inevitable and it’s been coming, I think we all knew that, but it seems Rice has made his mind up now too and that’s given West Ham a decision to make.

He isn’t the type of player to go on strike or cause a huge fuss, because he loves the club and is happy here. But for the sake of his career and development, a move to a top club with Champions League football who can compete for trophies is needed.

But with a deal that runs until 2025 the club could now either hold firm on their £100m+ valuation for the midfielder and risk losing him for free and upsetting him along the way, or make a deal that suits all parties and is still a record sum.

Either way it’s likely that this is the final season that we’ll see him in a claret and blue shirt, so lets make it a memorable one and win him a trophy on his way out.