da dobrowin： Chelsea manager Graham Potter is interested in signing West Ham United phenom Declan Rice this summer after the former Cobham youth prospect announced his desire to leave his outfit.
What’s the latest on Rice to Chelsea?
da aposte e ganhe： According to reports from Spain, Blues owner Todd Boehly is preparing to offload up to five first-team players to fund a swoop for Rice, as well as freeing up space to make Joao Felix’s £10m loan move permanent at the end of the season.
Chelsea released Rice from their academy when he was 14 years old, and despite The Guardian stating that the now 24-year-old prefers a move to Arsenal, the west London giants remain firmly in the mix for a player who has expressed his desire to depart from the London Stadium this summer, with his contract up for expiry in 2024.
The Irons have reportedly slapped a £70m price tag on their prized asset, but given Boehly has parted with more than £550m on transfers since last summer, an official swoop might be forthcoming.
Can you imagine Rice & N’Golo Kante?
With West Ham reaching Europe in both of the past two campaigns, Rice’s emergence and subsequent influence on his outfit have left him an eminent figure within English football.
Playing the entirety of his professional career with his east London side, Rice has 227 appearances for the senior side to his name, scoring 12 goals and registering 12 assists from his assiduous, anchoring role in the midfield.
And this season, despite his team’s woes – West Ham languish in 16th – Rice holds an average league rating of 7.20, as per Sofascore, completing 89% of his passes, making 1.2 key passes, two tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per match.
His seasonal rating illustrates his importance to his team, with the 39-cap ace’s displays undoubtedly keeping the Hammers afloat, with the one-point gap to the drop zone likely shifting to a worrying position further down the table without him.
Hailed as a “destroyer” by former Premier League star Paul Robinson, Rice would be the perfect reinforcement to complete a Chelsea midfield that acquired Enzo Fernandez for a British record £107m in the winter, with distinguished dynamic phenom N’Golo Kante also nearing his return after a long-term injury.
Kante was instrumental in Leicester City’s unprecedented Premier League triumph in 2015/16, consequently signed by the Blues for £30m and going on to win the Champions League, Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup with the London side.
Ranking among the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries, the top 7% for blocks and the top 9% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, Kante would be the perfect partner to complement Rice’s sweeping skill set, threading the apartments together to create arguably Potter’s best duo yet, as they suffocate the hapless advances of the opposition.
Rice’s stock grows with each passing month, and while the limited length of his contract will prohibit the Hammers from demanding too exorbitant a fee, the plethora of top outfits vying for his name illuminates the paramount importance of moving swiftly to clinch his signature.