Chelsea have ‘very enticing offer to make’ for £80m star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea “have a very enticing offer to make” to West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice ahead of a potential summer move, transfer insider Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.

Head coach Graham Potter is looking for long-term additions in the centre of the park with current options Jorginho and N’Golo Kanté having just six months remaining on their contracts at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea transfer news – Declan Rice

As per The Times, Arsenal have made Rice their top transfer target for the summer window and are confident of beating Chelsea to the Irons captain’s signature, in what could potentially be a move worth £80m.

It has now been suggested that the 24-year-old is currently leaning towards a move to the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season, with the possibility of working under Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta being an attractive prospect for the midfielder.

However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has recently informed GiveMeSport that Arsenal have not yet approached the agent of Rice ahead of a potential switch to north London, hinting that the Blues are still well in the race to acquire the services of their former academy product.

And Jones believes that Chelsea cannot yet be ruled out of making a move for Rice, with an “enticing offer” set to be made to the Hammers star.

What has Jones said about Chelsea and Rice?

When speaking about the race for Rice’s signature, Jones told GiveMeSport: “What I would say is that, while at this moment it does look like Arsenal are winning that race, Chelsea have a very enticing offer to make whenever Declan Rice is ready to listen. We all know you can’t rule Chelsea out of these things.”

Would Rice be a good signing for Chelsea?

Rice – who has previously been described as a “force of nature” by journalist Rob Blanchette – would likely be an excellent signing for whichever club he makes his next move to.

The 39-cap England international has made 26 appearances for West Ham so far this campaign, hitting the back of the net once and providing three assists, in what has been a difficult season for the relegation-threatened Irons.

The Hammers skipper has achieved an average WhoScored rating of 6.94 for his displays in the top flight across the current season, ranking him as David Moyes’ best-performing-player in the squad, showing that he is capable of stepping up to the plate when the going gets tough.

The 6 foot 1 leader also compares favourably among his positional peers, ranking in the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for pass success rate (89.8%) and top 7% for interceptions per 90 minutes (1.84) over the last 365 days, as per FBref.

Therefore, it feels as if now is the right time for Rice to make the step up to one of Europe’s elite clubs and Chelsea will hope that the Three Lions star will be open to returning to his old stomping ground, as the Blues look to reshape their midfield.

You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here.

News Now – Sport News