David Sullivan has confirmed that Declan Rice has, in all likelihood, played his last game for West Ham.
"I think it has to be [his last game]," he said,"We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going. You can't ask for a man who has committed more to us this season. In due course, he has to get on and we have to get a replacement – or several replacements. It’s not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000-a-week 18 months ago. He turned it down. It’s cost him £10million to stay at West Ham in that time (lost wages). And he wants to go. You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to be there.”
Once upon time that would be cause of riotous joy at Chelsea but with the Blues having dropped back to 12th last season and no longer able to offer Champions League football, it appears any hope is non-existant. The west London side can't even compete with West Ham, who can offer Europa League football next term.
Rice has no shortage of admirers in the likes of Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Manchester United but it may be the former who hold the greatest advantage as things stand. Mikel Arteta and Edu are prioritising a move for the England international in an ambitious summer but he is not their only midfield target.
The north London side also hold an ambition to sign Moises Caicedo to bolster their midfield having been unable to prise the Ecuador international way from Brighton in January, with the belief they want the 21-year-old in addition to Rice. Safe to say, that would be quite the summer of activity.
However, as they found in January with Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea may stand in their way. Having pulled out of the competition to sign Miguel Ugarte, Caicedo is the most prominent name in the Blues' bid to reinforce their midfield.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: £172m deal done, Neymar move, Mbappe hint, Caicedo offer
In early 2023, Chelsea outmuscled Arsenal's attempts to land Mudryk but may hope not to be so forceful again having seen the Seagulls part with Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool for £35million. Caicedo signed a new contract in recent months which may add a layer of difficulty too.
A figure of £80million has been pushed for Caicedo, an amount that is sure to come under scrutiny and negotiation from both Chelsea and Arsenal before any agreement is made. While of course elite football teams have the ability to hash out multiple deals at once, with the club's primary focus on Rice, Chelsea may be able to take a step ahead and steal a march in the quest to sign Caicedo.
The Blues' spending has been well-documented in the last 12 months and player sales will be required this summer to trim their squad, but it's impossible to ignore any money spent on Rice could impact what is remaining for Caicedo too, with the Gunners also perhaps requiring to see some players leave to fulfill all of their transfer ambitions.
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