West Ham must spend over £100m in the transfer market this summer if they want to keep Declan Rice, according to John Terry.
The former Chelsea captain was asked about his former club’s interest in the England international when he laid out how he sees the player’s future unfolding:
“I’m going to get in trouble here for what I say! You know what, Dec obviously loves Chelsea – I think everyone knows that. I think the rejection he had from Chelsea has really helped his career actually. What he’s done at West Ham is pretty much incredible.”
“We saw in the FA Cup [against Kidderminster] when he came on and scored, and again grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck. I think from Dec’s side of things, I think he’s given everything to West Ham.”
“And for me, looking from the outside, unless West Ham go and make a big statement in the summer and go and spend £100million plus and say, ‘We want to keep Dec and we want to bring in top players like you’, then I think he’s got a decision to make. I think if West Ham go and spend huge amounts of money, bring in top players, then I think it’s difficult for him to walk away.”
As well as Chelsea, both Manchester United and Manchester City have been linked with Rice, but the Hammers are adamant that the 23-year-old won’t be sold unless a team pays £150m.
The player himself, though, maybe tempted into leaving, especially if Chelsea are in a position to make a large enough bid with new owners in place.
From West Ham’s perspective, it does appear as if they are prepared to spend big on players like Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, so they may be able to match Rice’s ambitions in the way that Terry suggests. We shall see how things play out over the summer.
