Chelsea are keen to sign Declan Rice during the January transfer window and have come up with a transfer plan to land the £80m-rated West Ham midfielder, according to reports from The Express.
The Blues spent close to £250m during the summer transfer window as boss Frank Lampard made several important additions to make his squad competitive for a potential title challenge this campaign.
As many as seven new players arrived at Stamford Bridge including high-profile names like attacking midfielder Kai Havertz, left-back Ben Chilwell, winger Hakim Ziyech and German striker Timo Werner.
They were also heavily linked with a move for Rice but eventually opted against meeting West Ham’s £80m asking price for the player. However, Chelsea haven’t given up just yet, and they’re looking to trim their bloated squad in January to help fund the move.
The signings of Werner, Havertz, and Ziyech have bolstered Chelsea’s options in attack, while the acquisitions of Edouard Mendy, Thiago Silva and Chilwell added depth and quality in defence. However, Chelsea are still looking to strengthen in the central midfield department and it looks as though Lampard has earmarked Rice as the perfect player for the role.
The Express claims that Chelsea are expected to sell as many as five players in January who have struggled to establish themselves as first-team regulars in order to help fund their pursuit of Rice.
The likes of Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri, Danny Drinkwater, Olivier Giroud could move away from Stamford Bridge in January while Chelsea are reportedly close to agreeing the permanent sale of Tiemoue Bakayoko for £16million.
The future of Marcos Alonso is in doubt as well. It means, Chelsea could recoup around £67m in January, according to the Express, which leaves them needing to find just £13m to sign Rice – who has played every minute of West Ham’s eight Premier League matches this season.
The 21-year-old England midfielder is a top-quality young talent, and he would be a superb signing for the Blues. However, West Ham have shown great determination to keep Rice and it remains to be seen whether they would sanction his departure (provided the value is met) midway through the season after making an encouraging start under David Moyes.
