Chelsea fans will be intrigued to hear the latest transfer update on West Ham midfielder Declan Rice in today’s edition of Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing on CaughtOffside.
The Blues have both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho heading towards the ends of their contracts, so a new signing in midfield could make sense as a top priority for them next summer.
Chelsea have long been linked strongly with Rice, with Simon Phillips recently reporting that they’re currently leading the race for the England international’s signature.
Romano has now made it clear that Rice is not prepared to sign a new contract with West Ham, making a summer departure in 2023 increasingly likely.
“I reported last summer that Declan Rice was not going to sign a new deal with West Ham and this is still the case; no agreement, so there are good chances for Declan to leave in the summer,” Romano said.
“I’m not sure about the price tag yet, as West Ham have not decided and they still feel strong on the price having an option to extend the contract for one more year.”
Chelsea fans would surely love to see Rice back at Stamford Bridge after he failed to make it at the club when he was in their academy as a youngster.
It’s fair to say the 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength since then, becoming a hugely important player for West Ham, and now for England as well.