“Almost €150million”- Romano tells Chelsea price tag for 23-year-old midfielder

Romano: West Ham United always wanted €150m for Chelsea target Declan Rice

Speaking to CaughtOffside (h/t Football.London), transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that West Ham United have always wanted €150m for 23-year-old Chelsea target Declan Rice.

He further added that although the asking price is there for clubs to target, the Hammers are confident around the player’s contract situation. The Englishman has a contract at the London Stadium until the summer of 2024, with an option to extend that for another year (Transfermarkt).

It has been no secret that Chelsea are keeping close tabs on Rice and would want to sign him. The player has made big steps in his career in the last 18 months, by performing consistently for both club and country at the highest of stages.

Here’s what Romano said (h/t Football.London):

“I get asked a lot about Jude Bellingham at the moment, but another big-name midfielder fans seem to want to know about is Declan Rice.

“After all, if Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all chasing Bellingham, only one of them can get him and the rest will need an alternative. Still, for Declan Rice we have to consider and respect West Ham; they always wanted almost €150million (£130.7m) for the midfielder and they feel protected by his current contract situation.”

The Blues are in a situation where two of their senior midfielders – Jorginho and N’Golo Kante are having their contracts expire at the end of this season. The injury situation of the latter may mean him getting a new contract is a non-possible reality.

With regards to the former, he rejected an initial offer as he wanted a pay rise. There have been talks behind the scenes since then. The Italian international prioritises a new deal at Chelsea over talks with Barcelona.

If both leave in the summer, the club would remain with Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as options in midfield. So, additions to that department can be termed as a necessity for the next two transfer windows.

Rice has the quality and flexibility to play in various positions across the midfield. He is a defensive midfielder by trade but can operate as a box-to-box number eight because of his running power and physical attributes that can be helpful in the opposition box.

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• Rafael Leao ‘complications’ over new contract with AC Milan give Chelsea boost in transfer race
• Chelsea to seek Manchester City help as they face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League round of 16

The price tag is something that is not in Chelsea’s control. To get the premium players, premium prices need to be paid. It would be good if the Blues do that and sign Rice sooner rather than later.