Danny Murphy sends Declan Rice Liverpool transfer…

Danny Murphy sends Declan Rice Liverpool transfer message as January window shuts

Pundit Danny Murphy has told Liverpool to sign Declan Rice in the summer to rebuild their midfield.

The West Ham United captain has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs over the past 18 months with speculation mounting he could leave in the summer.

David Moyes has continued to rebuff any attempt of a transfer and talked down stories but the England international admitted at the 2022 World Cup in December that he wants to play UEFA Champions League football.

One of the clubs in desperate need of midfielders is Liverpool, and Murphy has said he would go for Rice and pair him with his international team-mate Jude Bellingham.

“I think it would be stupid of me to not be shocked and surprised at how far they’ve come backwards in such a short space,” Murphy told talkSPORT. “We are talking about a team that was not far off winning a quadruple.

“They don’t look at it, they don’t look like they’ve got as much legs, that there’s much hunger. They’re missing players, look of course they are, but they had some of those players earlier in the season and the results were still the same.

“So, I think there’s a rebuild needed, if you like – when I say rebuild, I mean players out the door and a few more in. The midfield area is going to need freshening up. I think Simon [Jordan] alluded to being a good fit for [Jude] Bellingham. I mean, I’d love that to happen because he is exactly what they need. But I don’t think they necessarily just need one; I think they probably need two.

“Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] is out of contract [and] I wouldn’t be surprised to see [Naby] Keita go. Not sure [James] Milner is going to stay another year; if he does, it won’t be playing much. There’s three midfielders, because Milner, when he does play, plays at full-back.

“I’d go for Bellingham and Rice. I think why not go hard or go home, like you said, but on two big ones rather than four or five. Rice and Bellingham walk into that Liverpool midfield with Thiago.”

Rice’s contract is currently set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season, meaning that he is only under contract for 12 months once the window reopens. There is an option on his contract, however, which can be triggered to extend his deal by an additional 12 months.

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