Chelsea and Manchester United target Declan Rice is not for sale this summer, according to West Ham United manager David Moyes.
The midfielder has been strongly linked with a move away from the London Stadium at the end of the season, but it seems like the Hammers are determined to keep him. And they will do everything in their power to repel other clubs who are interested in him.
Declan Rice transfer fee north of £150 million
“The first thing to say is that he is not for sale,” said Moyes.
“But if you are interested, it will be north of that, because £100m was cheap last summer and £150m just now would be minimum – but he is not for sale.”
West Ham manager Moyes announces Declan Rice won't be for sale in the summer: "If you are interested, well, it will be north of that [£100m]. One hundred was cheap last summer…". 🚨⤵️ #WHUFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 2, 2022
"One hundred and fifty million just now would be minimum but he is NOT for sale". pic.twitter.com/iQQoILMMAr
To put things into perspective, Jack Grealish is the most expensive English transfer of all-time. The former Aston Villa captain made the move to Manchester City last summer for £100 million.
While it is extremely unlikely that either Chelsea or Manchester United would pay the quoted amount for Declan Rice, it would make him the most expensive Englishman of all-time ahead of his England teammate.
This season, Rice has been a vital component of David Moyes’ 11, wearing the captain’s armband in the absence of Jamie Noble from the starting lineup. At 23, he has earned a lot of plaudits and is a regular in the England national team as well.
So, both teams will have to look elsewhere if they want a defensive midfielder whose profile matches that of Declan Rice, for a reasonable transfer fee.
