Chelsea would love to sign Declan Rice but might have a tough convincing West Ham to sell him, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

Thomas Tuchel is on the verge of making his first summer signings in Nathan Ake and Raheem Sterling, but the German manager is still hoping to bring the midfielder back to Stamford Bridge.

What's the latest news involving Rice?

Despite having less than two years left on his Hammers contract, The Athletic reported back in April that West Ham would still demand £150m for Rice.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

The report stated that the London Stadium outfit are desperate to keep the 23-year-old beyond the current transfer window but would be willing to cash in on his services if the price is right.

Chelsea have since approached their London rivals, although 90min believe the bid was turned down by the Hammers, who remain persistent on keeping him, with David Moyes keen on building the team around the England international.

West Ham are still hopeful that Rice will commit his future to the club, but the Blues could use the majority of their £200m transfer budget to prise him away from E15.

Rice's stock has risen in recent seasons following his outstanding form at club level, while he's also now a regular on the international stage, and O'Rourke reckons that Chelsea would love to bring him back to where he started his youth career.

What did O'Rourke say about Rice?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "They would love to have Declan Rice back at Stamford Bridge, but even if Jorginho does leave I think it's going to be pretty hard to persuade West Ham to cash in on Rice this summer."

Darwin Nunez to Liverpool! Done Deal! Hear more on The Football Terrace...

Did Rice have a good season?

Rice wasn't able to guide West Ham into the Champions League via the league or the Europa League, but he was still amongst the club's best performers.

According to WhoScored, only Jarrod Bowen came away with a better rating than Rice's 7.10, which put him in the top-30 ranked players in the the Premier League.

He averaged 2.2 tackles every top-flight outing, which was better than anyone in Chelsea's midfield besides N'Golo Kante, while no other Blues player made more interceptions per appearance than his 1.8.

But one of the reasons why Rice is considered one of the best in his position is because he's also influential on the ball. He made on average just under 60 passes every time he took to the pitch, with 91.6 per cent of those successful, which put him in the top six players in the top-flight.