Former Liverpool defender and well known pundit Jamie Carragher has told Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea that signing Declan Rice would give them a player who has skills associated to Man United legend Roy Keane and England icon Bryan Robson.
Rice is one of several star-studded names to have been reportedly added to the Blues' summer shopping list, though securing the 23-year-old's signature is proving to be an uphill battle with West Ham. Last week, the England international was offered an eight-year contract by the Hammers in a bid to ward off interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City, as per talkSPORT.
While The Athletic claim that Tuchel is a big fan of Rice, football.london understand that it could take more than £100m - the fee which was quoted last summer - to even tempt the east London outfit into selling their most prized asset. Despite the Hammers' reluctance to sell amid reports, Glen Johnson and Jamie Carragher have been vocal in telling Marina Granovskaia about the special abilities the Three Lions defensive midfielder has in abundance.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly told to make £59m Chelsea transfer decision that narrows Man City and Liverpool gap
The latter of the punditry pair made an ambitious comparison to two midfield icons who made their names in the English game over the decades. "I always talk about Fabinho maybe Rodri because they’re the best two in Europe at breaking up play but what Declan Rice reminds me of is an old fashioned midfield player who’d play in a two," the Liverpool born pundit told Sky Sports' Monday Night Football coverage of Newcastle's win over Arsenal.
"Declan Rice reminds me of Roy Keane, he’s not just a holding midfield player, he likes to get forward, in terms of driving forward like Bryan Robson, he’s more than a sitting player, I’m a huge fan." High praise indeed and it is certainly easy to see why West Ham are reluctant to sell their star player but Gary Neville reckons that holding on to their number 41 for at least one or two more seasons could do damage to his value.
He added to the conversation: "The English player all the top clubs want whether they can get him out of West Ham, whether they can afford him is another matter. He may have to do another season, he may lose value if you keep him for two. He’s been a really good performer, getting to the Europa League semi-final and what he’s done for them, he’s a massive player for them."
Chelsea fans - would you pay the £150million asking price that could be required to unlock this transfer operation this summer? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
