Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is keen to bring in midfielder Declan Rice to the club from West Ham United during the ongoing transfer window.
According to transfer journalist David Ornstein, the Chelsea manager is a big fan of Rice and wants to use the 21-year-old as a central defender at the club next season.
He told the Tifo Football podcast, as reported: “We know Frank Lampard is a big fan of Declan Rice of West Ham and would like to convert him from a midfielder to a top centre-back.
“I know people in football who think he can become world-class in that position.
“West Ham will demand an incredibly high fee, sources have suggested in the region of £65-70million and they are in a strong position contractually.
“I don’t think that everyone at Chelsea is convinced by Declan Rice but he’s one that Lampard wants.”
Can Chelsea sign Declan Rice?
Declan Rice had started his youth career at Chelsea before moving to West Ham United back in 2013 and over the past two seasons, the youngster has seen a meteoric rise at the club.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Rice featured in all 38 Premier League matches for the Hammers and under normal circumstances, David Moyes would not want to cash in on a player like him.
But as per some reports, West Ham United need money to bring in new players this summer which is why they are open to parting ways with Declan Rice.
This is great news for Chelsea but the Hammers will want a crazy amount of money for the defensive midfielder and we are not quite sure that the Blues can pay around £60-70 million for him.
Lampard has already spent a lot of money on Ziyech and Timo Werner while Kai Havertz is also expected to arrive pretty soon. And after so much splurging, Chelsea will surely be hesitant in trying to negotiate a deal for Declan Rice.
