West Ham United may not want to appear willing to sell midfielder Declan Rice by declaring the England international is valued at as much as £150m, but according to recent reports, the Hammers could be prepared to enter talks if a much lower bid is made.
That’s according to a recent report from Football London, who claims the highly-rated defensive midfielder was not included in the Londoners’ recent 2022-23 kit promotion – prompting suggestions the Hammers are concerned a club could up their efforts to sign the 23-year-old this summer.
Heavily linked with a host of top clubs, including both Chelsea and Manchester United (Todo Fichajes), when asked for his thoughts on the possibility of losing Rice to a domestic rival, manager David Moyes has remained adamant that it would take a British transfer record fee to lure the midfielder away from the capital.
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“The first thing to say is that he is not for sale,” Moyes told reporters earlier this year, as per The Athletic.
“If you are interested, well, it will be north of that. One hundred (million pounds) was cheap last summer. One hundred and fifty just now would be minimum but he is not for sale. What I do know is that it means there are only certain clubs that could even consider it.”
However, despite Moyes publicly valuing his captain at an eye-watering £150m, Football London claims the club would actually be willing to enter into negotiations if a bid of at least £75m were to be made.
This report echoes what super-agent Rob Segal recently said about the prospect of Rice leaving West Ham.
“I know Rice’s valuation is well over £150m, but there is a valuation and then there is what the market is willing to pay,” Segal wrote in his exclusive column in April.
Given these latest developments, where do you see Rice playing next season? – Let us know in the comments.
You need to do your homework, Rice and west ham have come to an agreement that he will not be sold this season