Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf urges the club to sign Declan Rice and reunite him with Mason Mount
Speaking to FairBettingSites (h/t Metro), former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf urges the club to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and reunite him with Mason Mount.
The former French international wants Rice to replace N’Golo Kante in central midfield going forward. Joined in 2016, Kante is now in the final few months of his contract. There has been no agreement on an extension yet.
The long-term injury is putting more doubts on his future at Stamford Bridge beyond next summer. The 31-year-old has been injury-prone for the last two seasons now.
Talking about why Rice should be signed and getting goosebumps, here’s Leboeuf (h/t Metro):
“The only position I think Chelsea need to strengthen in is central midfield as a potential replacement for N’Golo Kante. Declan Rice is the one for me. It would be very, very interesting if Kante left, I would love to see them go and get Rice from West Ham.
“I get goosebumps thinking of Mason Mount and Declan Rice playing together at Chelsea because they are academy graduates and that’s what fans want to see.”
Rice was at the Chelsea academy for almost a decade before he was released to join West Ham as a teenager in 2013. He is best friends with Mount and has played together in the academy. They are now of course England teammates.
With Kante likely to go and the future of Jorginho still not sorted, it would be the right time for the Blues to sign Rice before the start of the next season.
The 23-year-old has already been linked with a move to west London in the recent past and the distant memory. His profile is similar to Kante positionally, but the Englishman can provide more height and physicality along with rapid coverage of ground and being good on or off the ball.
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This seems like an ideal fit for the club, knowing that the player is good enough to take the mantle and be a leader in that central midfield for years to come. The fans would be excited as well, while the reunion with Mount could be special on the pitch given how good they are individually quality-wise.
