West Ham sporting director Mark Noble insists no one could "begrudge" Declan Rice if he transferred to a club which could offer him Champions League football.
The eye-catching comments come as interest from Premier League rivals grows in the England international, 24, who has entered the final 18 months of his contract at London Stadium. Manchester United are long-term admirers of Rice while Chelsea, where the player spent seven years as an academy prospect, were credited with interest before Christmas.
In a fresh twist during the January transfer window, Arsenal joined the race to sign the all-action midfielder, creating a three-club tussle. Rice will not come on the cheap, as David Moyes has declared it will take a fee larger than the British-record £105million Chelsea paid to sign Enzo Fernandez to convince the Irons to sell up.
