West Ham will allow England midfielder Declan Rice to join a Champions League club providing £120m price tag is met; Hammers boss David Moyes reveals club are planning for life with and without Rice; Gary Neville says Rice is only worth £60m in the transfer market
Saturday 13 May 2023 07:16, UK
David Moyes has admitted for the first time that there is a "good chance" Declan Rice will leave West Ham this summer.
Hammers captain Rice has ambitions to play for a Champions League club but has a price tag in excess of £100m.
Nevertheless, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are all understood to be interested in the 24-year-old England midfielder.
"We honestly hope he stays," said Moyes. "We'd love for him to be a West Ham player but we are aware that might not be the case at the end of the season.
"So that's one of the scenarios around planning. There are plans that we have Dec here but we're also fully aware there is a good chance we won't have him."
Moyes has been unable to formulate plans for next season while West Ham's Premier League status remains unclear, although last week's win over Manchester United has left them all but safe.
"The planning has been put on the back burner. It's always been about making sure you're a Premier League club," added the Scot. "Your planning will go completely if you weren't.
"A lot of it will only start to go into place once we've realised we have kept our Premier League place. We're watching a lot of players, a lot of games, doing a lot of scouting, but the truth is the focus has been on staying in the Premier League."
West Ham head to Brentford on Sunday on the back of Thursday night's 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final.
Moyes is set to make changes with the second leg in the Netherlands in mind, with Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio - who was limping after the AZ match - expected to be rested.
"We are still assessing a lot of players, we are less than 24 hours from the game," he said. "There are obviously knocks and bruises but I am hoping Michail is not too bad.
"We will assess him but he should be good for Sunday."
West Ham will allow Declan Rice to leave this summer if they receive an offer worth £120m from a Champions League club.
West Ham would also accept £100m plus a player for the midfielder, with the Hammers already receiving enquiries about him.
His most likely destination at the moment is Arsenal, while Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have also shown an interest in the England international.
Rice will have one year left on his contract this summer but West Ham have the option of extending it by another year. He rejected the offer of a new £200,000-a-week contract 18 months ago.
West Ham will only sell if the money is right and all proceeds from any potential sale would go towards strengthening the squad in the summer.
Out of respect for Rice and in recognition of his performances during six seasons in the first team, West Ham have promised they will not stand in the way of his dream of playing in the Champions League if a suitable offer is made.
Rice is believed to be earning about £70,000 a week and he would be expected to earn at least three times as much if he moves this summer.
West Ham value Rice so highly because they believe he is one of the best midfielders in the world, he has an excellent injury record and he is only 24.
Speaking in March, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said Rice is only worth half of the £120m price tag West Ham are holding out for.
"I love Declan Rice," Neville said. "Obviously, Declan knows the position, but when I look at world-class holding midfielders, and players of that type, because he doesn't score or assist enough goals, you're putting him into that category of more of a destroyer.
"[Then], you've then got to be someone who I think is highly competent on the ball and linking play, and having that knowledge of the subtleties of getting on the ball from the back four.
"I personally feel, at this moment in time, that Declan needs to go and work under a different set-up, he needs to drive forward in his career, he needs to go and play at a different club.
"I think there's a lot of growth, and a lot for Declan to do to get up to the levels of Casemiro, Rodri and players at the top of the game in those positions.
"But, for me, I wouldn't be spending £110m or £120m on Rice if I was Manchester United this summer. I would spend £50m-£60m on Declan Rice, but I wouldn't spend the figures being reported."
May 14: Brentford (A) - Premier League, kick-off 2pm
May 18: AZ Alkmaar (A) - Europa Conference League, kick-off 8pm
May 21: Leeds (H) - Premier League, kick-off 1.30pm
May 28: Leicester City (A) - Premier League, kick-off 4.30pm
