Chelsea are likely to have to wait until the summer to secure a deal for West Ham United and England midfielder Declan Rice with the east London club standing firm on not allowing the 23-year-old to depart in the January transfer window.
The winter window opens next Sunday and Graham Potter will certainly be keen to see some fresh faces come through the door at Cobham with the Blues eighth in the Premier League, eight points off of fourth place Tottenham who have played one game more than their London rivals.
There is serious ground to be made up already and reinforcements next month will be vital to how the Chelsea head coach fares in his role.
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However, should the west London club hope to sign a midfielder next month, they will have to look elsewhere than their long-term target and former youth player Rice who is set to stay at the London Stadium until at least the end of the season.
The England star has a contract with the Hammers that runs until 2024 with the option of an extension by a further year. Although, despite the east Londoners looking to keep their captain for the remainder of the campaign, there is an expectation that the 23-year-old will depart in the summer, according to the Athletic.
The report states the following: "Under no circumstances will Rice be sold in January but the club have conceded internally they will have to sell him this summer."
Back in April, West Ham manager David Moyes said: “£100million was cheap last summer. £150m just now would be the minimum.” Moreover, the midfielder has since become captain of West Ham as well as impressing at a major tournament for England once again with his displays at the Qatar World Cup.
Whether it is in January, the summer or both, there is no question that Chelsea will have to add to their midfield in the near future with Jorginho set to depart upon the expiration of his contract next summer whilst the future of N'Golo Kante is uncertain with the Frenchman also set to become a free agent in 2023.
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