Declan Rice's agent, Rob Sagal, has expressed his thoughts on the midfielder's future, amid reports of interest from his former club, Chelsea.
The England international has emerged as one of the most sought-after players in the world, with Manchester United, Manchester City, and the Blues all apparently interested in signing him.
The £67.5m-rated midfielder – who has been dubbed "world-class" by West Ham's former head of recruitment, David Hunt – has had a particularly impressive 18 months, with the 23-year-old helping David Moyes' side secure Europa League football last season, as well as appearing in all seven games of the Three Lions' run to the final at Euro 2020 last summer.The £62k-per-week wonder has been crucial for the east London side this season as they chase a possible top-four berth and European success, making 38 appearances across all competitions with the captain's armband in tow.
While Rice has long been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge – where he was a member of the club's youth team until his release at the age of 14 – Sagal writes in his Caught Offside column that Thomas Tuchel and his team's hopes of making a move this summer may have been dashed due to their current financial situation.The super-agent said that the 27-cap international's move to west London in the forthcoming window was previously the 'worst kept secret in the industry,' but that the player is now'snookered' due to the change of situation at Chelsea.
'However, returning to Chelsea and any prospective transfer business they may pursue. Declan Rice appears to be a little snookered right now. He was supposed to return to Chelsea - it was the industry's worst kept secret – but Chelsea isn't in the same position today, clearly,' he wrote.
'Rice still has a good deal of time left on his contract, which is two years with an option for another, so he's in a bit of a pickle.'Although a sale may be completed in the coming weeks to end the current turbulence, it remains to be seen what the financial power of the prospective owners will be, with recent reports suggesting that the club may have to sell a number of players to balance the books, hence the doubt surrounding a move for the West Ham colossus – who still has two years left on his existing contract, with the option of a further year –
Blues fans will be disappointed by the news, as the Englishman – who has received comparisons to Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard from Joe Cole – had appeared to be a long-term target for the club, dating back to Frank Lampard's time.All is not lost, though, as Tuchel already has the ideal midfielder on his books, with current Crystal Palace loanee Conor Gallagher likely to return to his parent club this summer after a fantastic season at Selhurst Park.
The 22-year-old, who was named man of the match in his first senior international start against Switzerland, has already scored eight Premier League goals this season, providing an attacking threat that Rice, who has only one league goal, simply cannot match.Gallagher, dubbed "Kante with goals" by talkSPORT analyst Tony Cascarino, provides a hard-working and lively presence in midfield to complement his goal-scoring ability, and his return to Cobham is expected to provide more competition to an already strong midfield.
Similarly, according to the Evening Standard, the Blues hierarchy has been so 'impressed' by his performances for the Eagles that they may 'opt against' a move for Rice anyway, with the club apparently seeing the value in saving the reported £150 million it would take to lure their former youth player away from the London Stadium.Missing out on that deal could be viewed as a squandered opportunity, but now may be the moment to put their faith in young Gallagher.
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