Declan Rice backed to join Chelsea

Declan Rice could feel that he has ‘unfinished business’ at Chelsea ahead of a potential summer move to Stamford Bridge, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Rice to leave West Ham?

With each passing week, it feels increasing as though the England international could leave West Ham once the current campaign reaches its conclusion, with the Irons captain going on record a couple of months ago to state his desire to play in the Champions League.

Rice certainly isn’t without suitors, with many of England’s top Premier League clubs linked with a move for him in recent months, including Chelsea.

The 24-year-old may believe that it is time to join a club with greater aspirations than 16th-placed West Ham, and the Blues could hold a crucial advantage over any prospective rivals in the race to sign him.

The Latest: Chelsea move backed

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that Rice’s family supporting Chelsea could work in their favour, with the player himself also a Blues fan as a youngster and playing in their underage ranks before being let go.

The journalist stated in reference to recent reports that the midfielder would favour a move to Arsenal:

“I do personally think those reports are premature. I think you can’t underestimate the influence that Rice is a boyhood Chelsea fan; his entire family are Chelsea fans and he spent eight or nine years with the club before being released as a 14-year-old.

“I think in his head, there will be an element of unfinished business there at Chelsea.”

The Verdict: Ideal summer signing

Chelsea’s midfield is in need of changing this summer, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho now both in their 30s and the former expected to leave when his contract expires in June.

Rice could be the perfect player to come in and be the new dominant midfield figure at Stamford Bridge, having started five games for England at the 2022 World Cup and averaged 2.2 interceptions per game in Qatar. For comparison, the best figure managed by any Blues midfielder for that metric this season is 1.5 from Kante.

The West Ham captain’s “huge influence” has been hailed by his manager David Moyes, who also dubbed him a “big player” for the Irons; and while he would clearly cost a lot of money, he is someone who could be a fixture in Chelsea’s team for many years, potentially skippering them in the future too.