Leading the West Ham squad onto the Fortuna Arena field in Prague (Czech Republic) to play the Europa Conference League final in the early morning of June 8, Declan Rice heard whispers from around him: "He will play his last match for West Ham, Arsenal and Man United are actively pursuing him and Rice may not complete the remaining 2 years of his contract with the team"... Not only the fans, many experts and those who consider themselves knowledgeable about football all affirm that Declan Rice's aspirations are no longer limited to the "Hammers" football field.
Declan Rice fights for the ball in midfield
Even club chairman David Sullivan confirmed: "We promised him we would let him go in the summer. Rice can do what he wants." The Hammers boss reiterated this commitment just hours after the Europa Conference League final ended and British media confirmed Arsenal were rushing to sign a £90 million deal for the 24-year-old England star.
Club president David Sullivan can't keep Declan Rice
Declan Rice's future has been a hot topic in recent weeks, with the West Ham midfielder attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. The Hammers have, of course, kept quiet, refusing to comment on their captain until they wrapped up the season with a thrilling win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
Declan Rice lifts West Ham's first major trophy in decades
Speaking to the British media, David Sullivan emphasized: "We promised to let Rice go and we have to keep our word. We cannot ask him to commit more after the end of the season even though that is not what we want to happen. West Ham offered Rice a weekly salary of £200,000 18 months ago but he refused. Just staying with the team for the past year and a half has cost Rice £10 million."
Declan Rice's heart belongs to West Ham but the market will decide whether he stays or goes
According to Sportsmail (UK), West Ham want to receive the entire transfer fee of Rice immediately to be able to strengthen the squad, at least to pay for a replacement for the midfielder's role. Arsenal are said to be dominating the race to sign Rice, who prefers to play in England rather than abroad, not to mention that this midfielder's family is settled in London.
Rice unlikely to follow in Mark Noble's footsteps to become West Ham legend
Man United, however, are not completely out of the woods yet to sign Declan Rice. The Old Trafford outfit are willing to pay £55m to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea. Coach Erik ten Hag is looking for a goalkeeper, a centre-back, a midfielder and a good striker this season.
Will West Ham's launch pad take Declan Rice flying high?
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