West Ham captain Declan Rice has been one of many players to give their congratulations to Jack Grealish following his Champions League win with Manchester City on Saturday. The England international was part of the City side that made history by winning the treble this season.
They first secured the Premier League by beat Arsenal to the title, before adding a second trophy of the campaign to their cabinet with an FA Cup victory over Manchester United. The final step was the Champions League, where they faced Inter Milan in an occasion that turned out to be tough for Pep Guardiola's side.
Both teams had their chances, but it was Rodri's strike that ended up being the deciding factor in Istanbul as the Cityzens completed the treble. Fresh off the back of it, Grealish took to Instagram, where he posted an image of himself with the Champions League trophy.
The caption reads: "The champions league…. The treble, the stuff I couldn’t even dream of. Wow." Plenty of players, past and present took to the comments to give their congratulations, but one in particular seemed to catch the attention of a few.
That was of England teammate Declan Rice, who said: "What a guy. So happy for you brother." Within the replies, there was a war of words between rival fanbases, most notably Manchester City and Arsenal fans, instructing the 24-year-old to join their club in the upcoming summer transfer window.
football.london understands that Rice is a top priority for the Gunners in the coming weeks, with Mikel Arteta looking to revamp his own midfield ranks. City are yet to be linked with a deal for the West Ham captain, but many fans were instructing him to make the move nonetheless.
The future of the 24-year-old is uncertain, with only two-years remaining on his contract with the Hammers and chairman David Sullivan claiming a move away is likely. Arsenal are reported to be making a £90million bid to open proceedings, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich also linked.
Grealish's recent win has only backed up a claim Rice made during the World Cup too, when discussing his desire to play at the very top. "One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League," the midfielder said back in December 2022 when asked about the competition and his future.
“For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies.
"You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.” For Rice, it's yet another teammate that's won a big trophy and this summer, he has the opportunity to make a switch and play in that very competition himself.
Whether that will be for Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich or even Manchester City though, that huge decision remains to be seen.
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