Chelsea doesn’t want to pay Van Dijk money for West Ham star Declan Rice.
The England international has been one of the key targets for the Blues this transfer window but the midfielder who also plays as a central defender won’t come for cheap.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is on the market for a new defender after the Blues conceded 54 Premier League goals in the 2019/20 campaign.
Rice was a product of the Chelsea academy and is regarded as one of the upcoming talents English football has to offer.
According to reports, West Ham are gonna demand extra money given the rivalry between the two clubs.
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He is currently valued at £80million by his club, which would make him the joint second-most expensive defender signing in the history of football.
Steve Nicol urges the Blues to sign Rice and play him in the midfield rather than in defence.
“I think [a move for Declan Rice] makes sense,” Nicol told ESPN FC.
“I think when you already have N’Golo Kante, if you bring Declan Rice in then you can play all the forwards that seem to be either at Chelsea right now or are going to Chelsea, and by that I mean the likes of Timo Werner who’s there and it seems like Kai Havertz is going to be there as well.
“You can play those two – Declan Rice and N’Golo Kante – as two defensive midfielders and let another four ahead of them get after it in the attack.
“So listen, it makes sense because Declan Rice is a great player, he’s maturing and getting better season after season.
“I don’t think he’s quite hit his peak yet but this would make complete sense to me for Chelsea and I think for Declan Rice as well.”
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