Todd Boehly has been told why Chelsea face an up-hill battle to sign Declan Rice. The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for some time now as he continues to impress for club and country.
Rice, who was released from Cobham at the age of 14, spearheaded the Blues' shortlist last year alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, according to The Athletic. The report states that a move for the West Ham midfielder collapsed because the Hammers' £100million valuation was considered too 'steep' by the west Londoners.
In February, football.london understood that as far as David Moyes' side are concerned, nothing has changed and Rice was not for sale at any price. It was believed that the club had no interest in letting their key man leave the club at any cost.
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Rice is under contract in east London until 2024, with West Ham holding a further one-year option to extend his deal until the summer of 2025. With the England international tied down to a long-term deal, the Hammers are confident that the former Blues is going nowhere despite the interest from other clubs.
Speaking to CaughtOffside, Fabrizio Romano confirmed the east Londoners' stance and Rice's asking price. He said: "I get asked a lot about Jude Bellingham at the moment, but another big-name midfielder fans seem to want to know about is Declan Rice.
"After all, if Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid are all chasing Bellingham, only one of them can get him and the rest will need an alternative," Romano added. "Still, for Declan Rice we have to consider and respect West Ham; they always wanted almost €150million (£130.7million) for the midfielder and they feel protected by his current contract situation."
With Chelsea little choice but to spend big should Boehly look to sign Rice, the club have been encouraged to bite the bullet and pay what it takes. Speaking on talkSPORT, Danny Murphy said: "There’s a simple solution for Chelsea moving forward, looking to the future, which is you’ve got one of the best holding players in Declan Rice.
"He loves Chelsea. He’s the one to take his role, he’s capable and would be there for the rest of his career. They’ll have to bite the bullet and pay whatever it is. That’s the solution to replace Kante."
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