West Ham United are confident they will be able to hold onto Declan Rice now that Chelsea have sacked Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel is set to take charge, according to The Telegraph.
The Daily Mail cite The Telegraph writing: “West Ham are confident that Chelsea’s interest in Declan Rice will now end after they sacked Frank Lampard, according to reports.
“England international Rice has been strongly linked with a £70million return to Chelsea since the summer having been released by the Blues at the age of 14.
“But according to The Telegraph, the Hammers believe that the interest in Rice from the west London side will now die down.
“Lampard had identified the 22-year-old as a key target in the summer transfer window given his ability to play at both centre-back and as a defensive midfielder.
“But the report adds Lampard faced opposition within the club about his interest in re-signing a now expensive academy graduate that they had let go for free, and that unless Tuchel makes him a priority signing, any deal is now highly unlikely.”
Will Declan Rice remain at West Ham United?
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By the looks of it, it was only Frank Lampard who wanted Declan Rice at Chelsea and now that he’s gone, the Blues are not expected to make a move for the England international anymore.
That does not ease the pressure off David Moyes though since Premier League rivals Manchester United have also been linked with the defensive midfielder.
Man United decided not to make any concrete move since Rice was always inclined towards joining Chelsea but now with the Blues seemingly out of the picture, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Solskjaer chooses to make the move for the West Ham United midfielder.
The Hammers look set to hold onto the 22-year-old for the remainder of the season but they cannot rest easy since a number of other clubs will be queuing outside their door during the summer transfer window.
And even the West Ham United management know it for a fact that sooner or later they will have to cash in on their most prized asset.
