West Ham ‘set to offer Declan Rice a new deal in bid to stave off interest from Chelsea and Man United as Hammers make use of freed up funds following imminent sale of £42m flop Felipe Anderson to Lazio’
- West Ham are set to offer Declan Rice a new deal, according to latest reports
- The Hammers have seen two new offers rejected by their star midfielder
- However, Felipe Anderson’s imminent sale will free up £100,000-per-week
- Rice, 22, has attracted interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea and Man Utd
West Ham will reportedly offer Declan Rice a new deal to fend off heavy interest from Chelsea and Man United, with the Hammers making use of funds freed up from Felipe Anderson’s departure to tie down their star man.
Brazilian flop Anderson, 28, touched down in Lazio on Wednesday as he edges closer to a return to his former side, having joined West Ham from the Italian outfit in 2018 on a four-year deal for a whopping fee of £42m.
Anderson has failed to deliver in East London and the Hammers have accepted a £5m bid from Lazio for the attacker, representing a huge £37m loss.
West Ham are reportedly preparing to offer Declan Rice a bumper new contract extension
The 22-year-old has enjoyed his best campaign for the Hammers as they finished in sixth
However, according to The Sun, Anderson’s exit will free up vital funds to help secure the future of midfielder Rice.
The 22-year-old starred for England during their impressive Euro 2020 campaign and his outstanding performances for the Three Lions have consequently placed added importance on tying the midfielder down to extended terms.
Rice has already rejected two bumper new offers from West Ham but the approximate £100,000 weekly wages recovered from Anderson’s sale could help get an agreement over the line.
Rice starred for England as Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions reached the Euro 2020 final
The Englishman has three years left on his current deal, with an option of a fourth, and West Ham boss David Moyes has previously stated that his star man is worth in excess of £100m.
‘I don’t agree with the owners that Declan Rice is a £100million footballer. Far, far more than £100m. Far more,’ he told Sky Sports in March.
‘I look at the players who have joined some clubs from overseas and come in and nowhere near had the impact Declan Rice would have.
‘I certainly wouldn’t put a price on it. You can decide which figure you want to put on it but I wouldn’t be sanctioning anything like that, that’s for sure.’
And Felipe Anderson’s imminent departure will free up £100,000 per week in wages
Rice’s performances have attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United
Rice has been a long term target of Chelsea and United, with former Blues boss Frank Lampard a huge admirer of the 22-year-old, while the Red Devils are looking for a new defensive midfielder.
The Hammers enjoyed one of their best ever top flight campaigns in 2020-21, with Moyes guiding the Londoners to a sixth-placed finish in a remarkable achievement having just staved off relegation the season before.
Moyes has moved away from mega-money signings of previous eras and his savvy use of the transfer market – bringing in the likes of Tomas Soucek, Jesse Lingard and Craig Dawson – has provided Hammers fans with optimism for the future.
