Declan Rice has been a long target for the Stamford Bridge Club.
The Chelsea academy graduate hinted after West Ham’s Europa League semi-final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt that he will stay at West Ham next season.
Declan Rice has been instrumental for David Moyes’s side both in the Premier League and their quest to make history in the Europe League this season but was denied the opportunity to play in the finals of this year’s Europe League.
Eintracht Frankfurt won the game by 1-0 thanks to the only goal by Colombian international Rafael Santos Borre who is known to be the friend of Liverpool winger Luis Dais.
The Hammers suffered an early blow in the match when England international Aaron Cresswell was sent off in the 9th minute of the first half for denying Eintracht Frankfurt striker Jens Petter Hauge a goal-scoring opportunity when the striker was played through on goal.
Eintracht Frankfurt will now meet Scottish side Rangers in the Finals of the Europa League in Seville this month after Ranger knock out RB Leipzig in the semi-finals.
David Moyes’s side will now shift their focus to the Premier League where they will seek to keep their dreams of qualifying for European competition next season.
The Hammers are currently seventh on the League table and occupy the Conference League spot at the moment with four matches remaining in the Premier League.
According to the Daily Mail, senior figures at the club are confident of keeping the England international for at least one more season.
Senior Figures at the Club seem to share the same sentiment with West Ham manager David Moyes who echoed on the England international future after his side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the Premier League last month.
“Who was the journalist who put it out?” David Moyes quizzed regarding Fabrizio Romano’s Rice claims that were brought up after the London derby via CaughtOffside.com. After being informed it was Italian journalist Romano, the Scottish tactician then went on to say: “One of the local boys then.
“We like Dec – he has three-and-a-half years to go on his contract, so I don’t think there is any big panic. I sold Wayne Rooney and Everton got better, so it doesn’t always mean that things don’t happen. But as we have said before, we have no intention of selling, so I don’t know why you keep asking me.”
Declan Rice after the West Ham shock defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany discloses where he might play next season.
What did Rice say?
In an emotional interview with BT Sport, he said:
“Me coming off there, I have lost big games, the lads in there have lost big games, but I come off there with my head held high,” he said in an emotional interview with BT Sport. “We have given it such a good go, no one expected us to get past Sevilla, no one expected us to get past Lyon, we had a genuine belief from in the camp, with the fans and even from players from other teams texting us saying go out there and do it so we wanted to do it.
“It is a real gutter because I have got to listen to them celebrate, it is not nice, but we will be back. I am young, I want more. The lads want more. This club deserves more. We have shown as a club we can do these big European nights.”
‘We will be back doesn’t sound like the sort of statement that would come from a player who could have been on the move this summer.