Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel 'really, really wants' to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice following Todd Boehly's takeover at Stamford Bridge, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

A consortium led by Boehly has officially completed their takeover of the Blues, with the £4.25billion deal to take the club off Roman Abramovich's hands going through on Monday, and it seems Rice could be the first acquisition of the new regime.

What's the latest news involving Rice?

Rice was released by Chelsea at the age of 14, and that has proved to be a costly mistake by the west Londoners.

That is because the central midfielder has gone on to establish himself as an England international, winning 29 caps, and nailed down a regular starting berth at West Ham since.

Although Rice has rejected a third new contract offer from his current employers and made it clear that he is open to leaving the London Stadium this summer, the Hammers will fight to keep the 23-year-old on their books.

West Ham have slapped a £150million price tag on Rice and even attempted to entice him into signing on the dotted line by tabling a fresh eight-year deal worth £200,000-per-week.

However, the midfielder has yet to put pen to paper and it has previously been revealed that he would prefer a move to Chelsea if he were to seal his West Ham exit.

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What has Dean Jones said about Rice?

Jones understands Chelsea have turned their attentions towards signing Rice after seemingly missing out on Monaco defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who is reportedly on his way to Real Madrid.

The transfer insider believes Tuchel, who has been in the Stamford Bridge hot seat since January 2021, is an admirer of the West Ham and England star.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: "Missing out on Tchouameni is a slight frustration for Chelsea as, ultimately, the sanctions meant they could not move forward with talks when Real Madrid could do so.

"But West Ham aren't making any breakthrough with Rice over a new contract and that is going to lead to more rumours as the window opens next week. Tuchel really, really wants him."

Are Chelsea facing competition for Rice's signature?

According to The Mail on Sunday, Manchester City and Manchester United have joined the battle to sign Rice.

The report suggests Manchester City are seeking a long-term replacement for Fernandinho, while their neighbours' interest remains following Erik ten Hag's appointment as their new boss.

However, Boehly has shown that he is open for Tuchel to spend big this summer by handing the head coach a £200million budget, so Chelsea could still win the race for Rice's services.