The last two years have seen a drastic increase in interest for England midfielder Declan Rice. Chelsea have been keen on the 24-year-old since 2020 but have not seen eye to eye with the Hammers on his valuation. David Moyes considers Rice to be an integral player in his squad hence the sheer reluctance to let him go easily, with the Scotsman going so far as to suggest that Rice is a £150 million player! Since 2020, his price tag has ranged between £60 million to £150 million. It's quite bizarre, especially considering how vocal Rice has been in wanting to move on sooner rather than later.
football.london Chelsea reporter Adam Newson believes that West Ham would start negotiations for Declan Rice if a bid in excess of £75m was launched. Whilst I think that this is progress from the ridiculous tag of £150 million, I am not too sure if Chelsea can afford that this summer.
Thomas Tuchel is said to be an admirer of the West Ham captain so if £75 million could open negotiations, I assume Chelsea will be comfortable launching a bid in that region. If not, what will be the best price tag that the Blues would say yes to?
£75 Million
The harsh reality is that £75 million transfer in this market for a midfielder is pretty standard. Former Chelsea target and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will be joining Real Madrid for a fee of around £85 million. It would be a shock if the Blues were to get Declan Rice for any less.
There are too many factors to consider here. Is Rice actually worth such a large sum of money, and if so, what does that mean for the rest of the transfer window?
With Thomas Tuchel's budget believed to be around £200 million is it worth bringing in a £75m+ player? Especially with a squad rebuild on his hands. Unfortunately, it is the middle ground in terms of a realistic and expected offer.
£50 Million
in 2020, Chelsea had launched a bid for Rice in the range of £50 million. Quite a fair price if you ask me, but it wasn't going to move the Hammers at that time. He still had four years left on his contract and was destined to go on and captain the club. There was absolutely no chance of an agreement at just £50 million, even though it seemed fair.
Right now, Rice has just two years left on his contract. With that in mind, is it safe to say that Marina Granovskaia can haggle her way down to £50 million? Chelsea need Rice more than they are letting on this summer and West Ham would be keen to exploit this. They would also need to keep in mind that the England midfielder will be entering the final year of his contract after next season. If they leave it too late, they probably will not get a penny for their captain having tried everything to tie him down to a new deal.
£100 Million
This seems to be the benchmark figure for the Hammers. Whilst I cherish the idea of bringing Declan Rice over to the Bridge, I am not so keen on the hefty price tag. Thomas Tuchel has reportedly been given £200 million to spend in this summer's window, so spending half that budget on one player would not show him to be responsible.
Unfortunately, Chelsea are in a process of a rebuild, with £100 million for one player just not feasible. Especially considering their thinning backline, with Antonio Rudiger having joined Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen Barcelona-bound, while Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta also appear to be on their way out. They have other areas to focus on and it is cheaper to give Jorginho and N'golo Kante new contracts instead.
