Report: Frank Lampard views brilliant £70 million star as Chelsea legend’s long-term successor

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According to a report from the Times, Frank Lampard wants Declan Rice at Chelsea, and he believes the West Ham starlet has the potential to become the next John Terry at Stamford Bridge.

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The 21-year-old Hammers ace has excelled in the Premier League since bursting onto the scene at the London Stadium three years ago.

Rice has really impressed when playing in the deep-lying midfield role. But he is also a capable centre-half.

And that’s where Blues boss Lampard sees the seven-capped England international playing in the future, according to the Times.

In fact, the 42-year-old allegedly sees Rice as the new John Terry.

Captain, Leader, Legend

The current Aston Villa assistant manager is an absolute legend at Stamford Bridge.

Terry won five Premier League titles, six FA Cups and a Champions League during his illustrious Chelsea career.

So if the West Ham youngster could go on to emulate the former England and Blues legend, he will have one seriously successful career ahead of him.

Rice will not be easy to prise away from the London Stadium, however. The young starlet will be sold for nothing less than £70 million (Daily Mail).

And considering the fact that Chelsea have already splashed out £53 million on Timo Werner (Daily Mail) and £36.7 million on Hakim Ziyech (Metro), that fee might just be a stretch for the west London outfit, given the current climate.

If the Blues can afford Rice, however, it will be a no-brainer for them.

Stats

Rice has made 104 appearances for West Ham, racking up two goals and three assists in the process (Transfermarkt).

In 94 Premier League appearances for West Ham, the seven-capped England international has racked up 237 tackles, 146 interceptions, 172 clearances and 640 ball recoveries (premierleague.com).

Chelsea and Lampard got a first-hand view of how good the Hammers ace is on Wednesday night when the youngster absolutely bossed the midfield during a 3-2 win for the east London side.

Everyone who watched Rice regularly knows just how good he is. And it seems as though Lampard has been mightily impressed with the West Ham man as well.

Whether Chelsea will be prepared to pay £70 million plus for his services, however, remains to be seen.