West Ham’s Declan Rice pushing for Chelsea move

West Ham United’s Declan Rice is reportedly pushing for a move to Chelsea according to football journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Blue’s interest in the 21-year-old has been a talking point throughout the summer transfer window, but it has always been thought that the club would be priced out of a move by West Ham who see Rice as their prized asset.

But now it has come to fruition that Declan Rice wants to swap east London for west London and return to his boyhood club – who released him from their academy when he was 15.

Romano has reported that there has not yet been an official bid for the England international but he will push strongly to join the Blues and tell West Ham “I want to join Chelsea”.

This news will come as yet another blow to Hammers fans who have already had to put up with a miserable transfer window following the sale of youngster Grady Diangana, along with the recruitment of no players bar Tomas Soucek – who had already agreed to join the club at the end of his loan spell last season.

It won’t come as a shock to the fanbase, however, as the lack of ambition from the board is evident, with owner David Sullivan pleading poverty on Talksport yesterday in an interview with Jim White.

With the window nearing ever closer to a close – officially ending on October 16 – now would be a brutal time for West Ham to lose Rice, who was crucial to West Ham’s survival last season. As it would give the club next to no time to bring in a suitable replacement despite the record fee that it would likely bring in for the sale of a Hammers player.

As difficult fixtures approach, one would hope that Rice’s head has not been completely turned and he can solely focus on helping the Hammers pick up some much-needed points.