The Declan Rice situation at West Ham United continues to rumble on, with the summer transfer window now just a few months away.
The 24-year-old Hammers midfielder is being heavily linked with a move away from the London Stadium at the end of the season.
The likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are believed to be interested in signing Rice in the summer (Express).
The thing is, the Hammers are in a fairly strong position still, due to the one-year extension option that we hold in Dec’s contract – something that has been completely missed by one journalist…
West Ham are still in a strong position with Declan Rice
The Hammers are under absolutely no pressure to sell the 24-year-old midfielder yet.
This is something that has been completely missed by Peter O’Rourke.
The football journalist told Give Me Sport:
“It seems they’re no closer to agreeing on a new contract. It’s a dangerous game being played by West Ham because if this goes into the start of next season, he’ll have only 12 months left on his contract. I don’t think you’d be able to demand such a huge fee as a British transfer record for a player in the final year of his deal. If Rice didn’t move next summer and then decided to run down his contract it would be a massive loss for West Ham if he did leave on a free.”
West Ham manager David Moyes will undoubtedly have to sell Rice at some point, but he is in a very strong position to do so this summer and is in no way playing a ‘dangerous game’, as O’Rourke says he is.
There is no danger of West Ham losing Declan Rice on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 because we would obviously exercise the option we have to extend his deal to the summer of 2025.
These journalists really do need to do their research before making claims about players and their situations at their current clubs.
Declan Rice will undoubtedly leave West Ham at some point over the next six months or so. One thing’s for sure though – it will be for a massive transfer fee.
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