Ben Jacobs has clarified the situation regarding West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and the kind of transfer fee Arsenal and Chelsea are required to pay for him in the summer.
The Hammers have publicly suggested they would want a British transfer record for Rice, although Jacobs says the suitors are more likely to be able to do deals worth more than £70-80m.
However, this could also change as West Ham will be using Enzo Fernandez’s fee as their yardstick, so it will be interesting to see how much this move ends up costing.
See below for details on Jacobs’ Twitter thread, as he also notes that Arsenal and Chelsea are expected to move to Rice in the summer…
Although Moyes predicts a British record fee (£107m) following Enzo Fernandez’s #CFC move, Rice’s contract expires in the summer of 2024. The suitors hope to net £70m to £80m, but without No doubt West Ham will try to use Enzo’s fee, and even Moisés Caicedo’s offer (£70m) failed, as new criteria.
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) February 5, 2023
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Rice would be a good fit at Arsenal at the moment as the Gunners need a long-term successor in Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka, who are 29 and 30 respectively.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have just let Jorginho go and have an aging N’Golo Kante nearing the end of his contract, so bringing back former academy player Rice could be ideal for his needs at the moment. .
