Sources: Newcastle set to join Declan Rice race and West Ham prepare to accept £80m+ offer
West Ham are confident of securing am £80million-plus summer fee for Declan Rice as they prepare for an elite-club auction for their man man, sources have told Football Insider.
The Irons star man, 24, is on the wish list of all the Premier League big hitters and there is set to be an extended battle to lure him over the coming months.
Arsenal and Chelsea are currently in pole position as they lay the groundwork for a deal but there is also interest from Liverpool, Man City and Man United.
Newcastle United are also expected to be in the running if they can end what has been a transformative campaign with a Champions League spot.
West Ham expect to be deluged with interest but they accept a £100m+ fee is almost out of the question now.
Rice has rejected multiple new Irons contract offers with a summer move always on the cards for him and his camp.
His current deal with the Irons runs until the summer of 2024 and the club have the option of another 12 months but, as reported by Football Insider last week, the club do not intend to stand in his way in the next window.
A January exit was never a possibility, although a summer move is now seen as very likely by those involved with it offering the last realistic chance of securing a huge fee.
West Ham wanted £100million for the England star in the summer of 2021 and then David Moyes insisted at his media conference last April that the price tag had rocketed and “£150m just now would be minimum”.
That was enough to temporarily put off the Premier League elite from making a move.
But his price tag has fallen as Rice’s contract runs down and the player will be in an even stronger negotiating position in the summer.
The top clubs all watched Rice closely at the World Cup and were impressed at how he dealt with the pressure of big matches with the microscope of the nation fixed on him.
In other news, pundit “surprised” by West Ham source’s “big” transfer update.