“At the moment”: Romano names Chelsea’s priority transfer target to strengthen midfield

Declan Rice is a priority target for Chelsea claims Fabrizio Romano

Speaking on his Twitch stream (h/t Express), reputed journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea have made West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice a priority this summer.

Rice has been on the radars of Chelsea for the longest time now. An ex-academy trainee, the England international left the Blues for West Ham in 2014 where he completed his footballing education before bursting onto the scenes in the Premier League as a teenager.

Since then, Rice has grown into one of the best defensive midfielders in the league and has established himself as a permanent fixture in the England national team as well. Indeed, the West Ham star has been brilliant in the ongoing UEFA Euro 2020, helping the Three Lions make it to the semi-finals of the competition.

And, Romano has claimed that Chelsea have made the former academy man their priority to strengthen the midfield this summer. Although, he does mention that the Hammers’ valuation could make things difficult. (h/t Express)

“At the moment, Chelsea’s priority in midfield is Declan Rice. If they will sign a midfielder, Declan Rice will be one of the biggest possibilities. Then, they have to find an agreement with West Ham, and it won’t be easy because West Ham are asking for a lot of money for him.”

Romano also claimed that AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni is someone that the club could look at as an alternative to Rice in case a move does not pan out.

“We have to keep an eye on Tchouameni as a possibility for many Premier League clubs, not just for Chelsea. We will see. At the moment there’s nothing imminent.”

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While the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are available at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal, adding another midfielder of the highest quality would hold Chelsea in good stead. Whether they are able to convince West Ham to part ways with Rice, however, remains to be seen.