Coming after star West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice turned down two new contract offers in the summer, it appears the club have been dealt another potential blow surrounding the player.

The Lowdown: Rice new deal saga...

Reliable outlets like The Evening Standard and The Guardian reported over the summer that Rice snubbed two fresh deal offers at the London Stadium and wished to be informed of any incoming bids.

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Thankfully for manager David Moyes and co, Rice also didn't try to force any move away and swiftly returned to action with West Ham upon finishing England duty and his personal break.

A silver lining at the end of what was some concerning news then, it appears West Ham may now be dealt another potential Rice blow as a new report emerges.

The Latest: West Ham dealt another potential Rice blow...

As per 90min, the Hammers and Moyes could indeed face a fresh challenge in tying down their star man.

Rice, who started 32 Premier League games for West Ham last season, expects the 2021/2022 campaign to be his last in east London.

While the 22-year-old would be open to signing fresh terms on the condition of a release clause, West Ham's own rule of not including them in contracts for any of their players means a new deal is 'unlikely'.

Rice is currently focused on this season with the Irons but has no shortage of suitors, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool all making their interest known according to this report.

The Verdict: Key player, big money...

Making the joint-most interceptions per 90 on average last season (1.8), the England international is well and truly a key player and West Ham's unlikelihood of tying him down could come as a blow.

It will certainly be interesting to see if he does in fact move on at the end of this season, but if he keeps performing at such a high level, potential suitors will need to fork out big money.

A £100 million price tag on Rice has been mooted while manager Moyes believes he is worth even more than that, so while fans will of course want to keep their talisman, an offer at or over that price tag would surely be taken under consideration.

In other news: 'Yayyy', 'Ooooo', 'Actually mental'...West Ham fans rave over 'fantastic news', find out more here.