Declan Rice has turned down two offers to sign a new contract at West Ham while he waits to see if Chelsea or Manchester United try to sign him.
The 22-year-old England international has had several excellent seasons at West Ham and was heavily chased by Chelsea last summer, but the Blues were reluctant to face Hammer’s huge award.
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The Blues have resumed their interest this summer under new boss Thomas Tuchel, but they will also have to contend with interest from United, who see Rice as a potential answer to their problems in the defensive midfield.
West Ham are not interested in selling and want to keep Rice, but according to The Telegraph, the midfielder keeps his options open and has rejected two opportunities to sign a new contract at London Stadium.
Rice has stopped talks with his current side and is waiting to see if Chelsea or United formalize their interest.
Rice waiting for offers / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
It’s not time for West Ham fans to start panicking yet. After all, Rice has three years left on his contract, which also includes the possibility of a fourth year, so West Ham are in no hurry to do anything.
With so much time left on his current deal, Hammers are ready to demand a fee of around £ 100m for Rice, who is obviously keen to hear proposals and expects West Ham to seriously consider offers of around £ 60m.
Both Chelsea and United are considering all their options this summer and have looked at other goals. The former looks at Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni, while the latter meets Rennes star Eduardo Camavinga.
Lingard can be offered in exchange / Pool / Getty Images
If United choose to go after Rice, it is suggested that they can offer a player plus a cash deal that would take Lingard back to London Stadium after his excellent six-month loan deal with Hammers ended this summer.
West Ham are keen to bring Lingard back but have talked about their £ 25m price tag, so both sides would need to find a compromise if it were to work.
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