West Ham are prepared to offload captain Declan Rice for between £70m and £85m next summer, according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs.

Chelsea are believed to be keeping tabs on the England international’s situation and if the Hammers have, in fact, lowered their asking price, Jacobs says the Blues will make their move:

“There are other clubs pushing hard as well but they [Chelsea] certainly think that West Ham will soften on price and are resigned to losing Declan Rice in the summer of 2023. Instead of it being £100m plus, it could be anything between 70 and 85 million, which certainly from Chelsea’s point of view, speaking to sources, they believe is far closer to market value.”

Another journalist, Matt Law, has mentioned the £70m figure before, but Jacobs seems to be suggesting that West Ham may hold out for slightly more, which seems likely considering the midfielder’s contract effectively runs until 2025.

Getting a higher fee is probably dependent on there being competition for Rice’s signature. Manchester United and Liverpool are also reportedly interested but, if the player has his heart set on a return to Stamford Bridge, it could be difficult for the Irons to get the price they want. We shall see how things develop over the coming weeks and months.