The Jude Bellingham super stardom could be seriously bad news for West Ham United’s owners ahead of the expected Declan Rice sale.
Imagine you’re lucky enough to have a bit of dough and you are in a car showroom about to splash out on one of the best cars on the market.
But just as you’re about to hand over the money, you spot the latest shiny improved model with all the bells and whistles and they’re not asking for that much more.
Well that is the problem West Ham owners David Sullivan, Daniel Kretinsky and David Gold will face next summer when it comes to Rice.
It was reported over the weekend that the West Ham hierarchy will make an improved third and final contract offer to their captain worth over £100m in a bid to get him to stay.
Given that Rice has repeatedly made it clear he is motivated by the prospect of competing regularly in the Champions League and for the top trophies rather than money, that contract is widely expected to go unsigned.
As a result – and as insiders have been reporting for months – West Ham will likely sell Rice at the end of the season.
Rice is – despite some bandwagon doubters saying otherwise – having another excellent tournament with England.
But he has been put firmly in the shade by Jude Bellingham’s emergence as a world super star. Comparisons to the likes of Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and even Zinedine Zidane have been flowing for Bellingham off the back of his ridiculously impressive Three Lions performances.
The world’s top clubs are reportedly forming an orderly queue to acquire the 19 – YES NINETEEN – year old midfielder’s services from Borussia Dortmund.
West Ham fans would argue Rice and Bellingham are two completely different players who can play in the same side.
That is of course bang on. But Bellingham can do what Rice can do in that holding role while also being able to play as a number eight and number 10. The boy has absolutely everything.
But the Bellingham super stardom could be seriously bad news for the West Ham owners ahead of the expected Rice sale in the summer.
Even if a club were interested in BOTH Rice and Bellingham there is no way many, if any, could afford the pair.
Those interested in Rice will undoubtedly be looking at Bellingham’s price tag – which was reported as around £83m before the World Cup but is now surely in excess of the £100m mark – and seeing how much more they could get for their money.
If Bellingham is sold in the summer it will have a direct impact on Rice’s price. We all love Declan but we cannot kid ourselves – or anyone else – that he is in the same bracket as Bellingham.
Why would a Real Madrid, Man City or Chelsea sign Rice for £100m when they could get Bellingham for around the same price or a few million more?
Sullivan, Kretinsky and Gold will have to accept that Rice’s price will be negatively impacted by any Bellingham sale one way or another.
If, for example, Bellingham goes for £100m – then West Ham would surely struggle to get much more than £70m.
That in itself is nearly three times West Ham’s previous club record sale. And with Rice chomping at the bit to leave by then the Hammers may just have to accept a lower amount and thank the academy graduate for his brilliant service before waving him off into the sunset.
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