Journalist clarifies manager’s claim about Arsenal & Chelsea transfer target’s asking price

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Ben Jacobs has clarified the situation regarding West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and the kind of transfer fee Arsenal and Chelsea face paying for him in the summer.

The Hammers have publicly suggested they’d want a British transfer record for Rice, though Jacobs says it could be more likely that suitors will be able to do business for more like £70-80million.

However, this could also change as West Ham will use Enzo Fernandez’s fee as a yardstick, so it will be interesting to see how much this move ends up costing.

See below for details in Jacobs’ Twitter thread, as he also points out that Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to move for Rice in the summer…

Rice would be a fine fit for Arsenal at the moment, with the Gunners in need of a long-term successor to the likes of Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, who are 29 and 30, respectively.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have just let Jorginho go, and have an ageing N’Golo Kante nearing the end of his contract, so bringing back former academy player Rice could be ideal for their needs at the moment.

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