Transfer News: Boost for Chelsea as Liverpool drop out of Declan Rice race
According to Football Insider (h/t Football London), Chelsea have been handed a huge boost as Premier League rivals Liverpool have dropped out of the race for West Ham United’s Declan Rice.
Jurgen Klopp is said to be a huge fan of the English midfielder but the Reds will not pursue a deal for him. Manchester United and Chelsea are said to still continue the interest in the Hammer’s player but having Liverpool out of the equation should make our task of landing him a tad bit easier.
Rice’s contract with the Hammers expires in 2024 and despite West Ham’s best efforts to tie him down to a new deal, there is a feeling that the defensive midfielder could be out of the door soon. David Moyes’ side will not want to lose their prized asset for free and could be looking to negotiate a fee in the upcoming summer transfer window for Rice.
The defensive midfielder has been part of one of the best midfield duos in the Premier League with Thomas Soucek in the past few years. Rice has been one of the best players in his positions in the Premier League for quite some time now and he will not come cheap.
Right now only two clubs are said to be in the race should Rice become available on the market. While Chelsea will certainly benefit from less competition, it far from makes our task easier.
The perfect fit?
Despite the plethora of options the Blues have in midfield, signing Rice will improve the existing quality in the Chelsea squad. More so, his young age will also give them a long term solution in the middle of the park.
Just 23-years old, there is no surprise that Rice is a subject of so much attraction from clubs around the world and Chelsea are no different. This is especially true taking into account that the English midfielder is a former Blues youth player
However, Chelsea find themselves in a bit of a pickle with their own issues and off-field uncertainties. It remains unclear if Chelsea will be able to make a signing in the summer.
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It remains to be seen what happens with Declan Rice but what is evident is that a player of his talent is not sticking at West Ham for too long. Chelsea could certainly do with a player of his skill set and should do all in their power to bring the Englishman back home.
