According to former West Ham player Frank McAvennie, GSB are prepared to pay big money to keep Declan Rice at the club.

The Lowdown: Rice future uncertain

Rice has become one of West Ham's most important players and has also emerged as a key performer for Gareth Southgate's England side, for whom he has 26 caps.

That has led to interest in his services from around the Premier League, with Chelsea and Manchester United (Manchester Evening News) particularly in pursuit, and the 22-year-old has also turned down offers from West Ham to extend his stay at the club (The Guardian).

The Latest: McAvennie makes GSB claim

Speaking to West Ham Zone, McAvennie believes GSB will offer as much as possible to keep him at the London outfit. He said:

"Listen, from what I’m hearing the club want to keep him and they’re willing to pay big bucks.

"Now, I don’t know if he’s wanting to go somewhere. [But] I think this team, this squad of players, could be challenging for the Champions League for the next two or three years. I think they’ve got a decent squad, keeping everyone fit. They’ll buy more players in.

"From what I’m hearing, the owners are willing to give Declan pretty much on a par with everyone else in England, so that’s a good thing.

"But we’ve got him for this year, just accept it and enjoy him. If he moves on next year, then so be it. He’s a better player than Phillips, I think.

The Lowdown: Think it over...

It is understandable West Ham would not want to lose Rice. Across the last three full campaigns, he has missed just 10 Premier League matches (Transfermarkt), helping the Hammers reach the Europa League last term. Losing him would leave a gap in David Moyes' midfield.

However, his refusal to sign a contract extension suggests he sees his future elsewhere. As it stands, he has three years left on his deal with the option of an extra 12 months - he will never be as valuable in terms of a transfer fee as right now, you would expect.

Do West Ham want to keep a player at the club who wants to leave and entice him only with a bigger pay packet? With a market value of £63m (Transfermarkt), they could get a huge transfer fee for him and replace him with real quality, too. It remains to be seen how the situation develops.

In other news, West Ham fans were unhappy with this David Moyes decision against Brentford.