£150m-rated star responds to Manchester United & Chelsea transfer rumours

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West Ham United star Declan Rice has responded to recent transfer rumours linking him with a big money move to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Hammers won’t want to lose their star player, but there has been almost endless speculation over Rice for the last year or so after his immense form in the Premier League, as well as for the England national team.

The 23-year-old could cost as much as £150million, according to a recent report from the Telegraph, while big names like Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have been named as his admirers by the Evening Standard.

Rice would undoubtedly strengthen this struggling Man Utd side, with Paul Pogba about to be out of contract, leaving inconsistent performers like Fred and Scott McTominay as the main options in midfield.

It’s less clear that Rice is badly needed at Stamford Bridge, where they have N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, but it makes sense that they might be keen to have their former academy player back after bizarrely letting him go when he was on their books as a youngster.

Declan Rice has spoken out on his West Ham future

Rice played down all the speculation, however, telling Sky Sports: “I feel like playing well comes with speculation. I’ve had two or three top seasons with West Ham and the top clubs around the country are always going to be watching. It’s not just me, it’s the same for every player.

“I think it’s important not to get too carried away with that. We’ve had a good season with West Ham and there have been big games I’ve had to play in so I feel like my focus has always been on that. If I thought about other things, I’d get carried away and that wouldn’t be fair on the team or the manager.

“I can’t help speculation, even with the numbers that get talked about. I get battered for it all the time on social media, but I can’t help that. I can help by going on the pitch and performing as best as I can.

“They [West Ham team-mates] wind me up all the time. It’s crazy to speak about to be honest, so I just kind of block it out and do what I do best and that’s play football.”

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