Paris Saint-Germain and Italy midfielder Marco Verratti has said he expects West Ham United captain and England star Declan Rice to leave the Hammers in a big transfer move.
Verratti and his Italy colleagues play host to Rice and England in Naples on Thursday night in the first of eight qualification group stage matches for both countries for next year’s European Championships in Germany.
The two nations know each other well with Thursday’s game being the fourth time they would have met in less than two years, playing twice last June in the UEFA Nations League before a tightly contested Euro 2020 final a year earlier.
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Verratti, whose career has seen him play over 400 times for PSG and win 51 caps for Italy, played against Rice in the Euro 2020 final and has spoken highly of the West Ham skipper, who has been heavily linked with a summer exit to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.
The 30-year-old has said that he likes Rice as a player, adding that he expects Rice to go on and play for a big club in the future.
“I really like him as a player,” said Veratti in his pre-match press conference. "He provides great balance and shape to the team, and he’s got wonderful physical attributes.
“He really helps his team out a lot. He’s a No.6, a defensive midfielder that England really need. I’m sure that he will end up at a top side because I’ve played against him many times, he never gives up, he’s got a wonderful attitude, and he’s still very young so he’s got a huge room for improvement.”
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