“He’s the one”- Graham Potter told to replace N’Golo Kante with PL star who “loves Chelsea”

Transfer News: Danny Murphy believes Chelsea should replace N’Golo Kante with Declan Rice

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes Chelsea should replace N’Golo Kante with Declan Rice. According to The Telegraph (subscription required), the Blues still hold an interest in the West Ham United midfielder.

Kante sees his current contract expire next summer. The west London club can choose to extend his stay at the club, but that will be subject to the France international’s agreement.

Now, the former Liverpool midfielder believes the Blues should ‘bite the bullet’ and go all out for Rice. Speaking on talkSPORT (h/t Football. London), the ex-Reds player gave his opinion.

“There’s a simple solution for Chelsea moving forward, looking to the future, which is you’ve got one of the best holding players in Declan Rice. He loves Chelsea. He’s the one to take his role. He’s capable and would be there for the rest of his career. They’ll have to bite the bullet and pay whatever it is. That’s the solution to replace Kante.”

Rice has risen to prominence in the past couple of seasons with the Hammers. A former Blues academy product, the 23-year-old was released by Chelsea’s youth system in 2013.

The 23-year-old has established himself as a starter for both club and country and is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. The England international is capable of playing as a centre-back too, apart from his natural position as a defensive midfielder.

An excellent player with huge playing experience, he would make a suitable replacement for Kante. The Frenchman has won everything with the Blues, except the Carabao Cup. The 31-year-old is currently on the sidelines and is expected to miss the World Cup next month.

With young midfielders in Conor Gallagher and Carney Chukwuemeka slowly rising through the pecking order, adding Rice to the Blues midfield would make it one of the best in the league and perhaps Europe too. The 23-year-old sees his current contract expire in 2024, although the Hammers have the option of extending it by another year (transfermarkt).

More Chelsea News:

• Graham Potter explains why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wasn’t subbed on earlier against Brentford
• Graham Potter offers explanation on why Conor Gallagher was subbed prematurely against Brentford
• AC Milan chiefs meet representatives of Chelsea duo Armando Broja and Hakim Ziyech

Rice is almost guaranteed to travel for the World Cup next month. Impressive performance there could see his price sky-rocket. It remains to be seen if the Blues can strike any deal for the midfielder, either in January or next summer.