Romano reveals price Arsenal and Chelsea to pay for Declan Rice

Robin Bairner

• 6 Feb 2023 10:00 GMT
• 3 min read

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is set to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea leading the way for the England international.

As FootballTransfers revealed, the 24-year-old has set his sights on Arsenal, while it is speculated that Manchester City and Manchester United may move for the Hammer.

David Moyes, Rice’s West Ham manager, he been bullish over what his club will expect by way of a transfer fee for the player, who along with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo is set to be one of the most wanted midfielders in the summer.

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“Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player,” said Moyes. “He'll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham.

“There's a lot of talk about it and when you see what's going about for the prices, I think Dec will be blowing that out of the water, that's for sure, when it comes around.”

MORE: Liverpool join Arsenal and Chelsea in Caicedo race

What is Declan Rice worth?

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, though, is not as optimistic that West Ham can drive the price so high for a player valued at £59m (€66m) by FootballTransfers.

In a column for CaughtOffside, he said: “I think the price could now be around £90-100m, but it depends on many factors and it’s really too early to predict the final price tag. Arsenal and Chelsea have always been interested but let’s see if Manchester United or Man City will join the race.”

With a contract that expires in 2024, West Ham will be under pressure to sell in the summer given that it is unlikely that their star player will sign a new deal.

Rice’s price is likely to be driven down by the fact that both Bellingham and Caicedo are likely to be subject to interest in the summer by the same clubs chasing the England player. It means that the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have other alternatives to turn to should his price be considered too high.