Rice will now cost Man Utd and Chelsea more than "bargain" £100m says Moyes
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 24 Oct 2021 13:57 BST
- 3 min read
West Ham United manager David Moyes has revealed that Declan Rice is no longer available for a "bargain" price of £100 million, amid interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea.
Rice, who had been linked with that pair of clubs over the summer, has played every minute of West Ham's Premier League campaign so far this season, and is seen as untouchable by his current manager.
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Reports over the summer suggested that the Hammers were willing to accept an offer of £100m for Rice, but that has now been pushed aside by Moyes.
What has Moyes said?
Speaking to SkySports ahead of his side's London derby with Tottenham Hotspur, Moyes was asked about Rice's future and if he worries about losing the midfielder next summer.
He simply replied: "No I don’t, because there was a bargain to be got with Declan at £100m. That bargain’s now gone.
"We have a lot of really good players at this football club. I think while you’re building and developing, people might always come and look at your players.
"But it’s good that they are because that tells us that they’re doing well."
West Ham finished sixth last season, with the work of Moyes heavily praised, which meant they qualified for this season's Europa League.
With European football on offer, Rice stayed put, and he scored in both of West Ham's opening two games in the competition, helping them to three wins from three so far.
Rice himself has kept fairly quiet about his future, but reports have suggested that a return to Chelsea, where he played academy football alongside the likes of Mason Mount until he was 14, would be something he is open to.
Manchester United are also heavily linked with Rice, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanting reinforcements in defensive midfield.
If either club do want to make a move now, however, it seems as though it would take a British record fee, if Moyes' comments are mirrored by those in the West Ham boardroom.
