West Ham prefer selling Declan Rice to Chelsea

Declan Rice won’t be part of West Ham United’s squad next season, but his next landing spot remains a mystery.

Not long ago, it looked like he could leave the Premier League to link up with Bayern Munich before the Hammers’ stratospheric demands blew the Germans out of the water.

Heavily linked with Manchester City and Manchester United in recent years, Rice has recently emerged as a top transfer target for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

The Gunners have quickly moved to the top of the queue after convincing the player that moving to the Emirates Stadium would be in his best interest.

But Arsenal’s monstrous £80 million bid for Rice failed to satisfy West Ham’s appetites, opening the door to other suitors to swoop in and steal him away.

One of the potential candidates to sign the Europa Conference League winner is his former side Chelsea, who gave up the highly-rated midfielder as a teenage boy.

While it’s uncertain how the 24-year-old feels about returning to Stamford Bridge after being deemed ‘untalented’ by the Blues youth coaches, it’s a destination preferred by West Ham.

According to The Sun, David Moyes is more inclined to send his captain to Chelsea in a player-plus-cash deal involving Conor Gallagher than earn a greater profit from his potential switch to Arsenal.

Since the England international has his heart set on joining the Gunners, persuading him to reconcile with Chelsea could be daunting, even though it would benefit his current club.

Moyes is aware that replacing a player of Rice’s quality and stature could be almost impossible despite leading the club to continental glory last season, hence his interest in a part-exchange deal with the Pensioners.

Gallagher might have experienced a mediocre season at the Bridge following an eye-catching loan spell at Crystal Palace in 2021/22, but he’s still a wanted prospect.

Tottenham Hotspur have recently joined the race to capture his signature, with Newcastle United tracking his situation in London with keen attention for months.