5:50pm: £100m man very keen to join Chelsea, as Player vows to solve Chelsea’s striking problem after signing with Chelsea
Chelsea’s prime target Declan Rice is very keen on a move to Stamford Bridge from West Ham.
The Hammers are demanding £100million for his services and that is a fee that we do not want to pay, although they are still open to trying to negotiate a deal for the England International
Now the DAILY EXPRESS claim the Stamford Bridge side are reported to be confident of securing a deal to bring Rice back to the club if they can agree a fee with the Irons
Rice, who also had an impressive Euro 2020 tournament, is also best friends with Mason Mount, having grown up together in the Blues’ academy, before Rice was released and picked up by West Ham.
Carlton Cole recently told the club that he is worth that fee following his exceptional displays at Euro 2020 for the Three Lions.
He told talkSPORT: “Every time he kicked a ball in the Euros, I was like: ‘His price has gone up!’
“He’s becoming more and more desirable and for me, he’s a top, top player – we all know that at West Ham. “He’s proved himself there and been under the mentorship of a great West Ham legend in Mark Noble.
“He [Noble] hasn’t had any caps for England but been a great model pro. Rice has been working under his tutelage and learning the ropes in how to be a leader on the pitch.
“He’s got the qualities of a centre-midfielder, but he can play as a centre-back as well. All it is with Declan is that he needs games at the highest level.”
Asked whether he was worth £50m, Cole responded: “I’m going double that. In this day and age that is. “He’s so valued by West Ham and an integral part of this West Ham outfit.
“If you start selling your best players then you’ll be in trouble.”
Player vows to solve solve Chelsea’s striking problem after signing with Chelsea
It’s safe to say that since the exit of Diego Costa, Chelsea have never really had a top striker that could score 20+ goals a season and determine the fate of the team in big games.
Tammy Abraham is the nearest to that but he hasn’t caught the fancy of Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea target Erling Haaland is believed to be the man to solve Chelsea’s scoring problems and the club is willing to spend up to £150m for his signature. However, it’s yet to be seen if Chelsea will get the 21-year-old.
Chelsea’s Academy graduate Armando Broja has been touted as an alternative if the club are unable to sign a top striker. The 19-year-old netted 10 goals last season for Vitesse and was joint-topscorer for the Dutch side.
The Albanian youngster has impressed Thomas Tuchel in pre-season already, playing 45 minutes against Peterborough in a behind-closer-doors friendly.
In the game against Peterborough, Broja set up Hakim Ziyech and also got on the scoresheet as well.
He has admitted that it was a crazy experience for him as he relishes his dream: “It’s crazy. When I was younger I never actually thought I’d be in a position like this so I’m thankful every day to my family, to everyone who’s supported me, for the position I’m in.”
Speaking ahead of next season, Broja also admitted that he’s confident of playing with the successful Champions League winning squad and also hopes to learn from them.
He said: “That just gives you a big confidence boost as well.”
The 19-year-old added: “It’s a nice place to be, you learn from some of the best players in the world. You’re around first-team players who are playing regularly in the Champions League, who won the Champions League, so it’s good to learn from them and they’ll help you out as well, because they’re all lovely people and know you’re younger and trying to develop.
“It’s like a big family here, so it’s really nice to just talk to the boys and train every day, it’s been a really positive couple of weeks.”