Since West Ham United are looking to sign Kalvin Phillips, talkSPORT’s Alex Cross is confident that midfielder Declan Rice will be put up for sale at the end of this season.
The Hammers failed to bring Phillips on board during the January transfer window but as per some experts, West Ham will move back for him in the summer. And if the London side are serious about signing the England international then surely they are planning for life without Declan Rice.
Cross told talkSPORT: “If they’re looking for Kalvin Phillips that suggests to me that they’re paving the way for the departure of Declan Rice, and I fully expect Declan Rice to leave West Ham next summer.
“I think he wants to play in the Champions league. If you look at his post-match interviews… he’s already suggesting that maybe the club’s ambitions don’t match his own”.
West Ham have made bids for Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips as they push for a Champions League place 😮 pic.twitter.com/x582I5Yuft
— GOAL (@goal) January 29, 2022
Declan Rice set to move out at the end of this season?
There was a very slim chance that Declan Rice will choose to remain at West Ham United for one more season and now Moyes’ interest in Kalvin Phillips is a clear validation that Rice will be allowed to leave.
Man United and Chelsea have been chasing the defensive midfielder for more than a year and as per The Telegraph, the two sides will try and sign him once again in the summer.
United did not sign a defensive midfielder last month just so that they can concentrate all their focus on signing the West Ham star and if they can secure a Champions League spot then they will have a great chance at signing the 23-year-old.
Chelsea though need to clear up some space if they wish to sign Rice since they currently have players like Jorginho, Kante and Kovacic who all play in the same position as the West Ham man. Rice though was part of the Blues academy(before joining the Hammers) so there’s a chance he might want to return to the club where he played as a kid.
We don’t see Declan Rice staying at West Ham beyond the summer but since his current deal doesn’t expire anytime soon, the London side can be brave and demand a humungous transfer fee.
And if Man United and Chelsea are ready to meet West Ham’s financial demands then Moyes will have no issue in financing Kalvin Phillips’ move from Leeds United.
