Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Chelsea remain interested in re-signing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

What's the latest news involving Rice?

Rice was on Chelsea's books as a teenager before he was unexpectedly let go at the age of 14.

He has since found his feet at West Ham, establishing himself in the first-team over the past few years, but he has been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge in recent transfer windows. 

For now, he remains in east London, yet a move back to Chelsea does not seem to be off the cards at this stage.

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What has Dean Jones said about Rice?

That is the view of Jones, anyway. The transfer insider expects the Blues to keep in contact with West Ham over the coming months, although he admits that they will have their work cut out as the Irons are desperate to keep hold of one of their star players.

He said: “One thing for sure is that Chelsea are completely open to bringing him back, and that they’ll keep those discussions open. And West Ham obviously don’t want to sell him. We’ll see how the season goes for them.”

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Do Chelsea need to sign Rice?

Chelsea managed to complete the signing of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid on Deadline Day last month, meaning that they now have four high-quality central midfielders in their ranks, given that Thomas Tuchel also has N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic at his disposal.

Therefore, it could be argued that Rice isn't necessarily needed at the club. However, it should be noted that Saul has only technically arrived on loan for the moment, and it appears clear that Rice could still add something extra to Chelsea's squad.

The 6 foot 1 holding midfielder proved his class over the summer for England at the Euros, protecting his defence well to ensure that the team did not concede a single goal from open play throughout the tournament.

He now has 25 international caps to his name to show that he belongs at the highest level, and he would also bring leadership qualities to Chelsea having skippered West Ham on a number of occasions over the last couple of years.

Chelsea's team seems to have few weaknesses with Tuchel in charge, but given that Rice is only 22 and is likely to have his best years ahead of him, he could be a fine addition to the side and could make them even harder to beat if he moves back to west London.