Declan Rice has given an update on his West Ham future amid interest from Chelsea and speculation from other European clubs.
Coming off the back of yet another fantastic season in the Premier League, Rice has been the subject of a large amount of interest this summer.
Chelsea have admired the midfield general for several years and despite the constant links over a move, West Ham insist that the 23-year-old is not for sale.
Advert
At such a young age, Rice has a very impressive resume, he has nearly made 200 appearances for the Hammers and played in the Euro 2020 final for England.
.jpg)
Thomas Tuchel has previously been full of praise for Rice who he rates very highly, he shared in April: “He seems to be a very nice guy from what everybody tells me and is from the Chelsea academy and he proves this (his quality).
“That’s the most important thing. It feels like he plays single game.”
Advert
He continued: “He is available, is captain, plays with a lot of responsibility, is a physical player, very strategic-minded player, a key player for his team, and is strong at set-pieces.
“This is not a surprise. Everybody sees this. He is a huge part of the success of West Ham and it is impressive.”
While Rice will enjoy hearing the compliments, in a recent interview he has revealed that the constant speculation around his future is ‘annoying’.
Advert
Speaking to Sky Sports, he shared that when he is playing for West Ham he is able to push it to the back of his mind.
He detailed: “Everyone knows my relationship with the players here, the manager.
“I’ve never complained, every time I put on the shirt I go out there and give it one hundred percent and whatever happens off the pitch takes care of itself.
“I can’t control that (the speculation) - what I can control is going out there and trying to be the best player.”
Advert
It has been suggested Rice’s valuation is around £100 million should he leave West Ham, but he does not like the potential fees that are being put forward.
He claimed: “It’s annoying because of the numbers that get attached to your name.
“You can’t control that at all but there’s stuff sometimes that you see and you read that you don’t want to hear, because it’s not really true in a way.”
Advert
While the Blues may still be keeping Rice on their radar in the upcoming years, a move this season looks completely off the cards.
He concluded: “All I can do is go out on the pitch and play football and be happy.
“I’ve always said, until anything actually happens, there’s no point talking about anything because I am a West Ham player, I have a contract with West Ham and I’ll always respect that.
“I know that I’m going to be the captain of West Ham this season, I know it’s an honour.”
It remains to be seen as to whether the youngster will move to Chelsea one day, with his future one to keep an eye on as Chelsea duo N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have just one year remaining on their contracts at Stamford Bridge.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Declan Rice, West Ham United, Football, Transfers
Sam Collins