Chelsea expected to make a move for Declan Rice this summer.
The former Chelsea academy player has refused to renew his contract with the Hammers for the third time and it looks he will leave this summer.
The West Ham midfielder has attracted interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and other top European clubs.
Thomas Tuchel highly rates the 23-year-old midfielder who will be entering the final two years of his contract.
Tuchel said: “[Rate him] very highly. He seems to be a very nice guy from what everybody tells me and is from the Chelsea academy and he proves [this quality]. That’s the most important thing.
“It feels like he plays every single game. He is available, is captain, plays with a lot of responsibility, is a physical player, very strategic-minded player, a key player for his team, and is strong at set-pieces. This is not a surprise. Everybody sees this. He is a huge part of the success of West Ham and it is impressive. [But] maybe [he’s] out of our league [even] if we don’t have our crisis when you hear the numbers that are floating around.
“But as you know, we don’t speak about other players when it comes to whether we are interested or not interested because we take care of the guys that we have here. Our situation gives me a slight advantage that we can’t even think about buying or selling. So there is no need to think about it.”
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