Declan Rice was the one constant transfer story that Chelsea didn’t manage to convert in the summer, so it looked like they would have another run at the West Ham star in January.
The links and rumours have been pretty constant since the transfer window closed with updates coming on an almost daily basis, but it suddenly looks like Chelsea could look elsewhere.
The logic behind signing Rice was to give the back four some protection and to give the midfield some solidity, but a report from Eurosport has indicated that N’Golo Kante’s heroics for France in the international break have led to a change in plan.
READ MORE: Chelsea midfielder’s agent insists star is ‘happy’ but hints at next transfer destination
Kante was utterly outstanding and he demonstrated that he’s more than good enough to be a central player for Chelsea, so they’ve decided to ignore Rice for now and look at Jude Bellingham instead.
Bellingham has impressed since moving to Borussia Dortmund in the summer and even broke into the England senior set-up, something which is mightily impressive for someone who doesn’t turn 18 until next summer.
Dortmund have always shown that they will be a selling team if the right offer comes along, and the report states that Chelsea believe they can attract almost any player to the club, so they are confident of getting a deal done.
Unfortunately for West Ham this may only kick the Declan Rice interest down the road for a season as it’s believed that Kante will depart in the next couple of years, so it will be interesting to see what Chelsea decide to do.