It has been thought that Declan Rice would look to leave West Ham this summer, and while that still may well be the case, it will be a very difficult task for another team to prise him away from the London Stadium.
West Ham are rumoured to have slapped a £150million price tag on his head, a fee that even the most desperate of clubs surely wouldn't consider. The club have also reportedly offered the player a new eight-year contract, an unprecedented pact in professional football.
Of course, it would be madness for Rice would pen to paper on that offer. It would allow the club to hold him hostage over his future in the seasons ahead, knowing the player was locked into the club until 2030. Harry Kane suffered a similar fate last year, with Spurs refusing to let him join Manchester City as he was only halfway through the six-year deal he signed in 2018.
West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold surely must know that the England midfielder would never agree to such a deal, with Simon Jordan feeling this offer is nothing but pageantry.
Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Crystal Palace chairman said this offer is just for show, most likely so they can say they did everything they could to keep Declan Rice in the event that he leaves the club over the next 12 months or so.
🔥 “What a load of rubbish!”
📝 “Who’s going to sign an eight-year deal with #WHUFC? Why would you do it?!”
❌ “They’re not going to get £150m for him! I wonder who the suitors are for Rice.”
Simon Jordan reacts to West Ham’s crazy eight-year contract offer to Declan Rice. pic.twitter.com/7e3zRe2t1d— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) May 11, 2022
What a load of rubbish! A player in the pomp of his career with a marketplace that is bounding to sign him, who is going sign an eight-year contract with West Ham? Why would you do it at £200,000 per week?
They're playing the gallery. That's what Sullivan and Gold do, it's their modus operandi.
He's probably right that they're not going to get £150million for him, because we don't know who the suitors are. We knew who the suitors were with Harry Kane last year because they popped their head above the parapet and it was clear that they were Manchester City.
I don't know who the suitors are for Declan Rice.
Rice has two years remaining on his current deal, meaning the club could well be forced to sell him in the summer of 2023 should he look to force through a move. Otherwise, he could leave for nothing the following year.
However, he will not be leaving in 2022 unless West Ham significantly lower their asking price.
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