Chelsea F.C. has been pretty busy as of late, and the club has been linked to several players this summer. So far they have a lock on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, but it appears Frank Lampard is far from done. One name that has been linked to the Blues is Declan Rice of West Ham United F.C. He is just one of a long list of players, raising questions on how far will Chelsea goes to revamp its team.
For the record, Lampard said that they have not had any talks with the 21-year-old football player as of this writing. But the Blues coach has been known to pull off a surprise signing o two. One can just recall how he handled the Werner situation, one that involved him heading to Germany with no one noticing. That move sealed the deal for the German, allowing the Blues to pull one over Liverpool and other clubs. The same ploy could happen with Rice.
However, West Ham feels otherwise. There are several factors to back that claim. One is that it would take at least $87 million for the Hammers to deal away Rice, ESPN reported. The asking fee is a bit high, and West Ham is hoping that sum will turn away suitors. Practically all the Premier League clubs are financially struggling right now, and Chelsea is no different. Though the Blues may have a flexible budget, taking in all that talent right now hardly makes sense.
Despite the Hammers persistence in keeping Rice, some feel that he should make the jump to a big team. That includes left-back Aaron Cresswell, who feels that Rice's talent is suited for the Premier League in a report from talkSport.
“He’s close to 100 Premier League games already, and I’m not just saying that because he’s a West Ham player and a good mate of mine, but I do believe he’s one of the top talents in the country,” Cresswell said.
Rice is under contract with West Ham until 2024. Until talks do go down, the 21-year-old midfielder would best focus on fulfilling his obligations with the Hammers. No deal may happen this summer but that is no assurance the Blues or other clubs will back off. Teams are expected to hold off on lavish spending this season as they deal with the financial crisis.
However, things could change by next season. It all boils down to whether the COVID-19 pandemic is finally contained. Hence, the chase for Rice or any other player may simmer down this summer. But once the revenues start to improve, expect a new round of talks of players transferring to other teams by next summer.
