David Moyes admits it’s just a matter of time before Declan Rice leaves West Ham

It was the unexpected nature of the sales pitch that grabbed your attention. Much like Del Boy appearing from nowhere with a suitcase full of toy puppies, David Moyes was setting up his stall.

‘Undoubtedly he’s going to be a top player and undoubtedly he’ll be a British transfer record and more whenever he leaves West Ham,’ said manager Moyes.

Roll up, roll up. There you have it — the bidding starts at £105million for Declan Rice. That is the fee Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernandez last week, the highest ever for a club on these shores. And this is where Rice will stay if that is the price, given clubs abroad can no longer extend to such largesse. Paris Saint- Germain, maybe, but he is better than Ligue 1.

On Saturday, at St James’ Park, he was also better than every other player on the pitch. That is why Moyes was asked about his midfielder’s performance afterwards. But not, it must be said, his future. So when Moyes, unprompted, flung open that suitcase, it raised eyebrows. Is it, then, inevitable that Rice will be leaving, he was asked?

‘I hope not, I hope he sees out his time here,’ said the Scot. ‘But look, there’s a lot of talk about it and when you see what’s going about for the prices, I think Dec will be blowing that British record out of the water, that’s for sure, when it comes around.’

West Ham drew 1-1 with Newcastle during their Premier League clash on Saturday afternoon

That word again, ‘when’.

Given Rice turned 24 last month, this is surely the summer when he will move on. It almost felt like Moyes was revealing some sort of gentleman’s agreement.

The England star has given West Ham six brilliant seasons. That is one more than Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick played at the club. His legacy, you feel, would not be tainted.

Moyes’s words were also telling in that he has previously stated — but only when it was put to him — that Rice would cost upwards of £150m. This felt like a more realistic setting of the bar.

So, where does he end up? In an ordinary world we could rule out Chelsea, the boyhood club that always seemed his most likely destination. They have Fernandez in that position now. But the Blues exist in an alternate reality and, were Rice available, you suspect they would not walk on by.

Newcastle? Eddie Howe would love him and one starry-eyed Geordie later commented, ‘Declan Rice would complete us’.

Coaches Jason Tindall and Graeme Jones, who knows Rice from England, were spotted at full time embarking on what looked like a charm offensive with their opponent.

Sporting director Dan Ashworth, however, has already said that Newcastle’s model would have gone wrong if they were paying £100m for a player. The remit, at this stage of their journey, is to identify talent such as Bruno Guimaraes and double their value, not be held to premium prices.

West Ham boss David Moyes believes England midfielder Rice is worth more than £100m

Manchester City? Their Kalvin Phillips experiment has failed and they would be in the running, as would Manchester United. Liverpool, meanwhile, have their sights set on Jude Bellingham.

Rather, it is Arsenal who are the bookmakers’ favourites amid talk of an £80m summer approach. The prospect of Rice anchoring a midfield with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard in front of him is the evolution needed if they are to remain regular title contenders.

And that is where Rice belongs, not celebrating a point to take his team one clear of the bottom three. His corner created West Ham’s equalising goal for Lucas Paqueta, cancelling out Callum Wilson’s early opener.

That apart, he was simply quicker, bigger and cleverer than all else and would have perhaps earned applause from the home crowd had he been substituted. The appreciation for Rice was evident when the Toon Army came to reflect in the city’s watering holes.

A word on Newcastle. This was their fourth draw in five matches with only two goals scored.

To the backdrop of their charge to Wembley in the Carabao Cup, they are stumbling in the Premier League, even if they are still 16 games unbeaten.

For them, Rice would be nice and, thanks to Moyes, everyone now knows the price.