Chelsea are resigned to the fact that long-term target Declan Rice is likely to stay put this summer at West Ham as the next 'Paul Pogba' option comes onto the table instead, if one certain Blues midfielder was to seal his ideal transfer return away.
The Blues have always been huge admirers of Rice and have wanted to make up for their mistake of releasing him when they had him in their ranks. West Ham, however, have never once entertained potentially cashing in on a player who is viewed by their supporters as the natural heir to Mark Noble's throne. England international Rice has two years left, with a further option of another one still to run, on his current deal with the Hammers.
football.london understands that there is currently no wriggle room from the £150m valuation that West Ham have placed on the back of their No. 41 and this has caused not only Chelsea to look elsewhere, but also Manchester United too, who themselves are on the verge of signing Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong. A similar sentiment has been echoed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano who has provided added context onto the situation surrounding the 23-year-old Three Lions international.
