West Ham is fully aware that Chelsea wants to reunite with Declan Rice by the next transfer window. But this early, it may be best for the Blues to give up those plans with the Hammers revealing that they have no plans of dealing away the 26-year-old footballer.
The decision to keep Rice means they value the talent of the defensive midfielder. However, it also becomes a puzzle for some considering the Hammers have expressed interest in Ross Barkley. It could be that the interest in the 26-year-old was due to the interest shown by the Blues on Rice. But with the decision to stick with Rice, West Ham may have simplified matters, Goal.com reported.
Rice returning to Chelsea would be a fitting homecoming. He started his career there before moving to West Ham at the age of 14. Rumblings of a possible coming also made sense since the 21-year-old footballer had close ties with several people there. That includes Mason Mount, his best friend since they were only eight-years-old.
For Chelsea, the pursuit of Rice could still happen in the next seasons. Rice has four years in his current deal and things could change moving forward. Also, the Blues could be tightening up their budget like most teams who are feeling the financial crunch of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no games being held, the league and teams are suffering heavy losses, leading most to believe that spending by the next transfer window will be minimal.
Rather than go after players, Chelsea is expected to focus on contract renewals. They have a lot of players with expiring deals, most of whom are likely to stay for at least a year. Most footballers know for a fact that moving now and getting that dream payday will be hard, meaning it would be best to wait for at least one more season for teams to recover from their losses.
Among the players who the Blues may renew include Oliver Giroud and Tino Anjorin. Tammy Abraham is likely to be rewarded as well following a fine showing this season. If ever Frank Lampard makes additions, it could be a midfielder. It is a position that needs work but his targets could be limited to younger and cost-friendly players. Boubakary Soumare is one of the targets he has in mind and something could transpire. Adding another striker could also help and one target could be Philippe Coutinho. Currently, with Barca, the asking price for Coutinho is roughly between is £70 million to £80 million.
