According to the Mirror, West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is ready to snub Manchester United and Chelsea to remain at the London Stadium.
Rice has been one of the standout players for West Ham United this season and it was almost certain that he is going to head out for greener pastures during the summer. He has scored one goal and provided four assists in 36 Premier League matches and has also been named in the Europa League team of the year.
Chelsea and Manchester United have been chasing him for more than a year and since the Hammers have failed to qualify for the Champions League, it was pretty evident he will look to move out and climb up the ladder. Now, in a major u-turn, the England international is willing to remain at West Ham United for at least one more season.
Craig Dawson and Declan Rice have been named in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season⚒️ pic.twitter.com/WMFxYHGeTB
— Billy Bonds Stand (@BillyBondsStand) May 20, 2022
Why doesn’t Declan Rice want to join Manchester United?
Man United will be playing in the Europa League next season so it makes no sense to join them, more so because they are entering a major rebuilding stage.
United are a total mess right now and maybe this is the reason why Declan Rice is shying away from joining Erik ten Hag’s side. An established player like him won’t necessarily want to join a team that is in shambles.
Also, his price tag has seemingly put doubt in United’s mind and this is perhaps the other reason why Rice himself has opted not to join them.
Why isn’t Rice keen to join Chelsea?
Declan Rice is a Cobham reject so he will love to return to Chelsea and prove himself but the Blues are brimming with midfielders right now.
They have Kante, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley so if Rice wants to join Chelsea, he will have to prove his worth all over again.
At Stamford Bridge, he will get to play in the Champions League next season but there’s no guarantee he will be a first-team regular under Thomas Tuchel.
Is Declan Rice going to change his mind?
The transfer window hasn’t even officially started so there’s every chance Declan Rice might have a chance of heart in the coming months.
Manchester United are reportedly looking at cheaper alternatives like Kalvin Phillips so they might not return for Declan Rice but Chelsea will definitely keep trying.
If Chelsea can get rid of some of their current midfielders they can very well convince Declan Rice to make a move but for that to happen, the Blues will have to be ready to shell out £120-150 million for the England international.
