Chelsea have an advantage in the big transfer race for the signature of Declan Rice heading into 2023.
According to The Athletic, the West Ham midfielder Rice is expected to finally leave the London Stadium next summer as his contract goes into its final year, following Rice rejecting contract offers in recent years.
Chelsea's interest in Rice has been long, cited as one of the causes of Frank Lampard's falling out with the Chelsea hierarchy in 2020 before his dismissal at the start of 2021, as the head coach pushed to sign the player. Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool have also been linked too.
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Chelsea's transfer advantage naturally stems from the fact Rice was a boyhood supporter of the club, playing at Cobham in his early years before being released at the age of 14. His close friend Mason Mount still remains and the most important factor of all, Chelsea have been crying out for a player of Rice's capabilities since the departure of Nemanja Matic in 2017.
With both N'Golo Kante and Jorginho heading towards the exit door in 2023 at the end of their contracts, singing Rice feels like the obvious move to revamp a crucial area of Graham Potter's squad next year.
Rice has not only excelled at the Premier League level with West Ham, becoming one of the league's most dominant midfielders, but he has also become undroppable for his nation too. A key part of Gareth Southgate's midfield, impressing for England in Qatar, notably in the quarter-final against France despite England being knocked out of the World Cup.
Rice will very likely move in 2023, but the path to Stamford Bridge that seemed clear in recent transfer windows might not be as straight forward given the competition from wealthy rivals.
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