Chelsea have been dealt another huge blow to their hopes of signing Declan Rice in the summer. The 24-year-old has been heavily linked with an exit from West Ham for a while now as he continues to impress on both the domestic and international stage.
Despite the arrival of Jorginho on deadline day, football.london understand that Arsenal still hold a strong interest in Rice. However, it's also understood that the Hammers captain remains a key target for the Blues as well.
Rice is under contract at the London Stadium until 2024, with David Moyes' side holding the option to extend his stay by a further year. The England international is yet to pen a new deal at West Ham and he's previously voiced his ambition to play in the Champions League.
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For a long time it seemed inevitable that Rice would join Chelsea, where he spent his formative years alongside boyhood best friend Mason Mount before being released aged just 14. However, according to the Evening Standard, there is 'optimism' at the Emirates Stadium that Arsenal will sign the midfielder.
And it appears that Todd Boehly has played a role in inflating the West Ham star's price tag. The report states that the Hammers will look to ignite a bidding war for Rice in order to rake in as much money as possible form his exit - in the past, the east Londoners have wanted an eye-watering £150million.
The Evening Standard add that the valuations of Enzo Fernandez, Jude Bellingham and Moises Caicedo will be used as a benchmark when deciding a price tag. Therefore, even if Chelsea do prove successful in the race to sign Rice, they may well have shot themselves in the foot.
Former Liverpool and Chelsea defender Glen Johnson believes that the Englishman would be a better fit at Stamford Bridge. Speaking to Midnite, he said: "Arsenal are definitely leading the race to sign Rice. If you would have said nine months ago that Arsenal would sign him, I would probably be laughing!
"Arsenal have looked the real deal, they have won matches that they definitely would have lost last season and it's a fantastic club that is going in the right direction. They have definitely earned the right to put their hat in the ring amongst the many other teams chasing him.
"If he ends up at Arsenal, I would be a bit surprised but they have definitely given themselves a chance. Declan Rice will be more suited at Chelsea. If he goes to Arsenal or Real Madrid he would have a lot of players already pushing up and he wouldn't need to go up as much as he does now.
"He will be limited within his position and play with a handbrake on. Whereas at Chelsea - he would be more free to do what he wants. If he has some of the best players in the world in front of him - his only role would be to win the ball and get it moving quickly, whereas at this point in time, Chelsea need him to get involved."
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