Declan Rice ‘would still prefer a move to Chelsea over Manchester United’ 

Declan Rice still favours a move to Chelsea over Manchester United should he leave West Ham in the summer despite the current chaos at Stamford Bridge, according to reports.

West Ham have slapped a £150million price tag on the 23-year-old, who is already the subject of an intense transfer battle prior to the window opening in June.

The England midfielder has more than two years left on his West Ham contract – the club has the option to extend for a further year – and has not publicly shown a desire to leave the London Stadium.

Chelsea and Manchester United are battling it out to land the 23-year-old’s signature

But West Ham have fought a losing battle trying to persuade Rice to sign a new deal and privately accept they will have to cash in at the end of the season.

Talks between Rice and his club have not officially broken down but manager David Moyes is known to be resigned to his best player’s wishes to move to a bigger team. 

Chelsea and Manchester United are thought to be leading the race for Rice, with the Evening Standard reporting Stamford Bridge remains his preferred destination.

A deal between the West London club and Rice would be complicated by the Government sanctions on Roman Abramovich, which prohibit Chelsea from signing players. 

Sanctions placed on Chelsea because of Roman Abramovich mean they cannot buy players

United are looking to replace Paul Pogba, who is not expected to sign a new deal  

United are keen on bringing Rice to Old Trafford to replace Paul Pogba, who is widely expected to leave the club on a free when his contract expires in the summer.

Rice, released by Chelsea at the age of 14, is known to be interested in a move to United but it remains to be seen if the Red Devils can stretch to the kind of price West Ham are asking for. 

He is also desperate to play in the Champions League – something United might not be able to offer him as they are outside of the top four and face an uphill battle in their bid to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition.

The West Ham board are determined not to sell at anything less than £150million, which would comfortably be a British record fee, surpassing the £100million Manchester City paid for Jack Grealish last summer.