David Moyes believes if Declan Rice were to ever leave West Ham United then the transfer fee would be well above the British record.
The Hammers captain has been the subject of much transfer speculation for some time, with Arsenal and Chelsea among clubs to have been heavily linked with the England international.
Rice’s contract is not set to expire until the end of the 2023/24 season and West Ham also have an option to extend his deal by an additional 12 months. Therefore, it would take a large sum to convince the Hammers to sell their biggest squad asset in the near future.
READ MORE: Declan Rice makes West Ham statement after 'massive' result with Newcastle United draw
Rice received huge plaudits after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Newcastle United. The 24-year-old dominated the midfield with an “immense” performance, Moyes described, with the Scot adding a record breaking prediction.
“I thought he was a top player in the first-half, really was. Showed so many things and it’s interesting, undoubtedly, Declan is going to be a top player and undoubtedly he’ll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham, and more.” said Moyes.
Enzo Fernandez became the Premier League’s most expensive signing when he moved from Benfica to Chelsea for £107m on deadline day of the January transfer window.
Moyes clearly sees Rice’s valuation as more than that but the West Ham boss is hopeful that the England midfielder’s departure is not inevitable.
“I hope it’s not. I hope he sees his time here [at West Ham],” Moyes added. “Look, there’s a lot of talk about it and it’s just important when you see what’s going about for the prices. I think Declan will be blowing that out of the water, that’s for sure, when it comes around.”
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