West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has been backed to make a move to fellow Premier League club Liverpool.
The Lowdown: Rice’s situation at West Ham
In April, it was reported that the 23-year-old had turned down a third offer from the Hammers to sign a new contract with the club and is open to exiting the London Stadium.
Last week, Rice threw his West Ham future into further doubt as he admitted that he wants to challenge for the Premier League and Champions League at some stage in his career.
Following these comments and recent transfer links to Liverpool, this has led to one pundit sharing his thoughts on the situation.
The Latest: Rice backed to join Liverpool
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan had his say about Rice and the possibility of the West Ham leaving the London Stadium in the near future.
The former BBC radio pundit said: “Man City already have Kalvin Phillips who can come in and replace Rodri. Man United have just spent a lot of money on Casemiro. There have been links with Newcastle but they would need to guarantee Champions League football.
“Links with Chelsea have gone quiet. All I’m hearing about Liverpool these days is that they are going to be signing midfielders.
“A year ago you would have said their top priority was Jude Bellingham but maybe that has changed over the last few months with the way their season has started.
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“Real Madrid and Barcelona must be looking at him now, especially after his performances at this World Cup. I think Rice is an achievable target for Liverpool.
“He could go in there and really make it his own. He is good enough to go there but, of course, Rice has now said he wants to play in the Champions League.
“Liverpool might not be in that competition next season which would make it hard for them to sign either Rice or Bellingham. But if I was in Rice’s shoes then it would have to be Liverpool.”
The Verdict: Time to cash in?
Having played more minutes in the league this season than anyone else at West Ham, Rice is undeniably a big player for his club, who would surely be disappointed to see him leave.
However, if the England midfielder is intent on a move away from the London Stadium, it would be in the Irons’ best interests to get as big a transfer fee for him as possible.
With the 23-year-old’s current contract set to expire in 2024, next summer’s transfer window could be an ideal time for the Hammers to sell their captain, especially if they can bring in a significant sum of money for him and then use that income to sufficiently replace him and strengthen the squad elsewhere.
