Unless West Ham secure a top four finish in the months ahead, there is a very good chance that Declan Rice will be leaving the club.
The player himself has not been shy in expressing his ambitions to play at the top level in the near future, something that his current team may not be able to offer.
If he were to leave the London Stadium, it would take an astronomical offer to convince West Ham to sell. A fee of over £100million has been mooted, which would make Rice one of the most expensive purchases in the history of the game.
Would such an outlay be wise? We have seen the likes of Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish, two English players who were sold for bloated fees due to their nationality, struggle in recent times. That could well give pause to any sides interested in the midfielder this summer.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Michael Dawson and Paul Merson had differing views on forking out such a fee for Declan Rice.
Merson & Dawson disagree on Declan Rice valuation
While Dawson felt the biggest clubs in the Premier League should have no qualms about committing to such a deal, Merson wasn't so sure.
"You're going to have to pay £100-120m for him."
Michael Dawson says Declan Rice will be an expensive transfer target if he is to leave West Ham 💰 pic.twitter.com/PDFEcb6qvX— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 5, 2022
Dawson: Every player is going to want to strive to be as successful as they can. He has had a rapid rise, he is sensational and deserves to be playing in the Champions League. He's got the quality to, we've seen it with England and what he does for West Ham.
West Ham are still fighting for the top four, they've got as good of a chance as anybody else.
West Ham and David Moyes don't want to sell him, of course they don't, but everybody has got a price. You're going to be paying absolute top dollar.
If I'm one of the top three or four teams, Man City, Man United, Liverpool, everyone, just take him. You're probably going to have to pay £100-£120million for him, he's 23.
Merson: It's a lot of money.
Dawson: It's a lot of money, but he's English. As a centre half, Harry Maguire went for £80million.
Merson: For Declan Rice? It's a lot of money.
I like Declan Rice, don't get me wrong. I like him, but £120million for somebody who isn't giving you any goals? He's not Frank Lampard.
That's a lot of money that is.
More often that not, player in this sort of price range fail to live up to the billing after such moves. We have seen numerous examples in recent seasons across Europe's biggest leagues.
Such a fee would certainly pile the pressure on Declan Rice to succeed at his next club, although it is unlikely to deter interest in his services in the months ahead.
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