West Ham manager refused to rule out an exit for Declan Rice this summer when questioned at his post-match interview.
Pellegrini replied “It’s impossible, I cannot know the future, he is, of course, a player who has had a brilliant season, who is 20 years old and an English player who has a lot of qualities.
“Maybe some of the big teams, or all of them, will want him. But that is one thing – the other is whether he will stay here or he goes, and I cannot say at this moment.”
Back in March Pellegrini said “You never want to sell your good players but you understand that in some clubs, always there will be a deal, If the players want to go, if the deal is very good for the player, if the deal is very good for this club and he can continue growing, it’s very difficult for you to keep the player.
“The important thing is Declan Rice is not thinking about going out of this team. He thinks to play here, and the future depends on so many things. We cannot just talk about rumours.”
Manchester are 4/1 favourites to land Rice this summer followed by Manchester City at 5/1
Any Spanish, Italian or French is rated at 12/1 while Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are 14/1
The chance of Rice joining Spurs, Chelsea or Arsenal is seen as an outside chance of 16/1.
Pellegrini is such a class act. At last we have a manager wise enough not to get drawn in by the Press and their rumour-mongering. Of course the speculation will continue, but the manager knows how to play that particular game. It would be good if fan forums followed suit.
If Rice goes I hope it is abroad, he has given 100% for us loves the club but his stock is so high no one could blame him moving for CL football and wages we can’t afford. It could provide the funds to take us to the next level also as Bale’s did for the Spuds.