Transfer News: Chelsea receive blow over Declan Rice pursuit
According to transfer news from MEN, Chelsea have received a huge blow in their pursuit of Declan Rice. It has been reported that the West Ham star prefers a move to rivals Manchester United as he has asked several players from United about the club while on international duty.
Rice spent time at Chelsea’s academy before making the switch to West Ham and has made huge strides at the East London outfit. A regular for club and country now, the Englishman is one of the best defensive midfielders on display in the Premier League.
Rice has been a target for the Blues since the start of this season and it was said that Frank Lampard was especially keen on bringing Rice back to Chelsea. While there was little chatter on Rice after Lampard’s departure, Chelsea haven’t entirely lost interest in the promising midfielder.
It has been said that Rice has asked about United to two of the players in the England setup. The West Ham midfielder has spoken to Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw during the last international break while there was also Jesse Lingard, who is on loan from United.
They are also believed to have an edge due to West Ham’s keenness on signing Lingard on a permanent basis.
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This does come as a huge setback for Chelsea who have been after the player for a while now. It remains to be seen what the Blues do after this and if they switch to a different target if Rice indeed prefers a move to our rivals.