Real Madrid could join Chelsea in the race to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, according to transfer specialist Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Lowdown: Rice interest
West Ham have never been short of transfer interest in their budding superstar. Having just turned 23-years-old, Rice has already made a staggering 155 Premier League appearances and has added an impressive 27 international caps to his name.
This has led to heavy rumours linking the Hammers hero with a number of Premier League sides. According to The Telegraph (via Eurosport), West Ham will face a barrage of bids for Rice this summer, as Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City are ready to battle it out to sign the £100 million-rated player.
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The Latest: Real Madrid join the race
As per Di Marzio, an international transfers reporter for Sky Sports, Spanish giants Real Madrid could join the race for the Irons man, who would have to compete with the likes of Chelsea.
Speaking to Wettfreunde (translated by Football.London), Di Marzio claimed:
“If there will be the possibility to have him (Declan Rice), Ancelotti will be in the race.
“I don’t know which strategy will Real Madrid will have in the future – it depends on some players staying or going. For sure, Carlo Ancelotti likes him very much.”
The Verdict: Ideal for West Ham
It is inevitable that manager David Moyes will be getting more and more worried as speculation over Rice’s future increases.
In a recent interview with Gary Neville, the 23-year-old spoke of his footballing ambitions, saying that he wants to win every trophy available – including the Premier League and Champions League. This won’t reassure the Hammers manager in the slightest, who has tried to implore that the club will be targeting a spot in the Champions League next season.
However, fans may be more open to the idea of his move to Los Blancos. If they receive the reported £100 million price tag without selling within the Premier League, this could be the ideal situation – Rice achieves his ambitions and the Irons get a boatload of cash to reinvest in the squad, all without seeing him line up against them twice a season.
In other news: David Sullivan could earn Hammers “10s of millions”