Contract ends 2024
CandH Exclusive
A senior Hammers insider has this morning responded to ‘new’ stories that West Ham could be forced to cash in on Declan Rice this summer. The usual suspects report the move along with the same clubs being put in the frame to make offers – Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United.
The reports come from Andy Dillon in the Sun and Matt Law in the Daily Telegraph.
Both take the line that West Ham have already put Rice up for sale to ease financial concerns.
But speaking exclusively to Claret and Hugh by e-mail our own highly placed insider dismissed that to be the case out of hand.
He said: “Despite a poor season and poor cash flow caused by the virus Rice would be the last player we would sell to balance the books.”
It has been suggested the articles since repeated by the majority of the mainstream sports media were highly speculative and included lots of conjecture.
It would take a bid of around £80 million to change the club’s minds but in a depressed transfer market with Manchester United vice-chair recently telling a fans forum they won’t be in the mega-money market and with Arsenal with nothing like the required cash rule them out.
That leaves Chelsea who are more than well off for midfield talent and looking in other areas of the team for transfer targets.
As is usually the case it is highly probable the stories have been planted by agents eager to generate interest for their client in what they know is going to be a very low earning summer for them.
In the case of Declan Rice that agent is Neil Fewings of Wasserman who also represents Jack Wilshere.