According to famed journalist Fabrizio Romano, West Ham’s Declan Rice has always been the main midfield target for Chelsea and he is one to keep an eye on this summer.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Declan Rice?
Previous reports from The Telegraph in May revealed that Chelsea have revived their interest in West Ham powerhouse Rice this summer.
More recently, it has emerged that Rice has turned down two contract offers at West Ham, suggesting he's indeed interested in departing the east London club this summer.
However, the Hammers reportedly value their star man at a whopping £100m.
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What has Romano said about Rice joining Chelsea?
Italian journalist Romano claims that Rice has always been the main midfield target for Chelsea and suggests that he is one to keep an eye on this summer.
Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast, Romano said, “Always keep an eye on Declan Rice, because Declan Rice has always been the main target as a midfielder with Lampard and with Tuchel.”
He added, “They want to do something in midfield and we need to see if it will be Declan Rice.”
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How did Rice perform in the Premier League this season?
West Ham exceeded all expectations in the Premier League this season as they finished in an impressive sixth place. Rice was a key component of the London club’s successes this term.
According to WhoScored, the midfielder was West Ham’s fourth best performing player in the 2020/21 league campaign with a rating of 7.01. The England international made 1.8 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game, with an additional 1.4 successful aerial duels.
Despite the 22-year-old's defensive mindset, he also registered three goal contributions.
What were his stats for England against Germany at the Euros?
Since England arrived at the European Championships this summer, Rice has been a mainstay in the lineup having featured in Gareth Southgate's starting XI in each game at the tournament so far.
The 22-year-old repaid Southgate's faith in him after a strong display in England's 2-0 victory against Germany. According to WhoScored, Rice was the fifth best performer for the Three Lions with a rating of 7.25.
The West Ham star was booked in the eighth minute and showed great maturity throughout the match to prevent receiving a second yellow before he was substituted in the 87th minute.
His seamless transition to international football proves that he is ready to make the step up to join Chelsea's ranks and compete in the biggest club competitions.