Three reasons why Chelsea have the upper hand on Man Utd for Rice
Robin Bairner
- 9 Oct 2021 11:46 BST
- 3 min read
West Ham midfielder Declan Rice was a wanted man in the summer as Chelsea and Manchester United did battle over him.
No deal ultimately materialised for the England international star, with West Ham’s asking price ultimately too high for either club.
Hammers boss David Moyes indicated that it would take a bid of more than £100 million for West Ham to accept any proposal from the two clubs.
Nevertheless, both Chelsea and Man Utd continue to be linked with Rice, although it is the Stamford Bridge side who should be considered favourites if there is an arm wrestle over the player.
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Personal history
Rice has a strong attachment to Chelsea, having grown up in the club’s academy. He spent the years from 2006 until 2014 with the Stamford Bridge outfit and retains an affinity for the club.
Furthermore, he has spent his whole life in London, so departing even to make the relatively short trip up the road to Manchester will require an unwelcome upheaval.
Money
Put quite simply, Chelsea are less likely to be frugal in the transfer market than Manchester United.
Although Man Utd moved to secure Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane in the summer transfer market, the Glazer family, who own the club, have been relatively tight when it has come to transfer fees.
And while they completed these big summer deals, all three players actually arrived for very reasonable prices given their pedigree.
Rice is a different prospect. FootballTransfers’ algorithm values him at £43.2m (€50.8m) - well below West Ham’s asking price – and Man Utd are unlikely to be willing to take such a big gamble.
Chelsea, on the other hand, may well be more adventurous.
Rivalry
The Rice transfer battle offers Chelsea the opportunity to show that they can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the market and come out on top.
The Stamford Bridge club are a prestige asset of owner Roman Abramovich and beating Man Utd to one of England’s finest players is an attractive proposition. Especially when Chelsea were one beaten to Jon Obi Mikel by the Red Devils.
Abramovich is not quick to forget in his business dealings.
