Chelsea are expected to delve back into the transfer market after heavy spending under owner Todd Boehly, and Declan Rice could be the next name on the shopping list.
What’s the latest on Rice to Chelsea?
The west London outfit have parted with more than £550m since last summer’s transfer window, but currently languishing in ninth place after 22 matches, further improvements might be made to ensure that silverware is pursued across every front next term.
One such star could be West Ham United captain Rice, who has expressed his desire the leave London Stadium at the end of the campaign and has been linked with a host of top Premier League clubs – including Graham Potter‘s Blues – but a deal might require a fee of around £70m.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, prominent Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips has stated that the midfielder might be the most coveted gem among the Stamford Bridge hierarchy after the conclusion of the current campaign, with the Englishman ‘topping the list’.
He said: “Declan Rice still tops the list, as far as I’ve been told. But with Declan Rice, they’re putting down the groundwork foundations. They are speaking to people close to him letting him know they’re there and that they are going to be making a move for him in the summer.”
How could Rice help Enzo to flourish?
Despite the opulence of Chelsea’s spending spree, it would be fair to argue that the centre-forward position remains devoid of a reliable figure to cement a talismanic status for this new era, and a whole gamut of premium striking options have duly been named among the rumour mill in recent months.
Despite this, Rice remains at the forefront of Boehly and technical director Christopher Vivell’s wish list, which is perhaps a testament to the supreme skill set of the England midfielder.
Should Chelsea sign Declan Rice?
Yes
No
Appearing on the Vibe with Five podcast, Three Lions team-mate Kieran Trippier proclaimed that Rice is “unbelievable” and “the best at what he does” within his position at present, despite the likes of Casemiro and Thomas Partey standing out in the current Premier League campaign.
Having made 22 league appearances this season, the 24-year-old has recorded an impressive Sofascore rating of 7.24, despite the Irons’ flagging fortunes leaving them just two points above the relegation zone.
Completing 89% of his passes and averaging 2.3 tackles and 1.2 key passes per game, Rice can offer a stability and composure to backbone his playmaking team-mates further up the pitch.
One such player who could establish a formidable partnership with the 39-cap English “monster” – as dubbed by ESPN’s David Cartlidge – is Chelsea’s £107m January signing Enzo Fernandez, who has made a promising start to life under Potter’s tutelage.
The Argentine, who won the tournament’s Best Young Player award during his nation’s triumphant World Cup campaign in Qatar, has recorded a 7.6 Sofascore rating in both of his opening two matches in the Premier League, serving a sumptuous assist to Joao Felix against the Hammers and looking like a tenacious and all-encompassing figure of first-rate quality.
Ranking among the top 7% of midfielders in Europe’s five main leagues for pass completion, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 6% for interceptions, Rice could be the robust and all-embracing anchor to knit Chelsea together without seam, supplying a bedrock from which the likes of Fernandez can flourish and duly taking the Blues to “another level“, as was proclaimed by Paul Parker.
Indeed, with the 24-year-old potentially solidifying the crust of Chelsea’s midfield, Fernandez’s license to dazzle should only intensify, and the midfield unit could finally erupt into a vortex of electrifying energy, capable of ascending to the very top of the European game once more.
Chelsea’s midfield is calling for replenishment, with Jorginho having departed and N’Golo Kante nearing the end of his contract, and Rice could be the ‘monster’ signing to form a deadly and dynamic duo with Fernandez for years to come.
