Chelsea hierarchy in disagreement with Lampard over move for rising English star

Chelsea hierarchy not convinced by Declan Rice

Speaking on a Q&A session on YouTube, The Athletic’s David Ornstein has claimed that the Chelsea hierarchy is not entirely sold over Frank Lampard’s interest in signing Declan Rice from West Ham United.

The 21-year-old has been on the radars of Chelsea for quite some time now. A former Blues’ academy man, Rice joined West Ham at a young age and has grown into one of the top defensive midfielders in the country.

A regular for club and country now, Rice’s ability to play in midfield and at the heart of the defence makes him an appealing target for Frank Lampard, who is keen to plug the backline after shipping in 54 goals in the PL last season. (h/t Metro)

Ornstein claimed on his show that Lampard was keen on converting Rice back into a centre-back. But, there are some reservations within the club regarding a move for the England international over his technical deficiencies. (h/t Express)

“That’s a player that was released by Chelsea’s academy as a 14 year old and some at the club feel, they’re not convinced that he’s addressed the perceived technical deficiencies that encouraged them to let him go at that age.”

The 21-year-old could cost the club around €80m. And some within the club have serious reservations over splashing that much money, given the aforementioned concerns. (h/t Express)

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Chelsea have been the most active club in the transfer market so far. If the new signings work out as expected, then we should right up there as far as a title challenge is concerned.

Adding another quality centre-back would only make us much stronger. However, it remains to be seen if Lampard is able to convince the board to fund a move for Rice.