West Ham manager David Moyes claims that no club came close to signing captain Declan Rice this summer.

When asked about the England international, Moyes said the London club had made their stance clear on the player’s situation and there was no chance of him leaving:

“Nothing I know of and the club have always said he wasn’t going to be available. We try to tell you the truth here.”

Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City are the three teams that have been regularly linked with Rice over the past year, but reports suggest that they have all been put off by the Hammers’ £150m asking price.

There is some concern, though, that the 23-year-old has consistently rejected proposals to sign a new contract. Next summer the midfielder will have one year remaining on his current deal, although the club do have an option for another year.

That does give West Ham some breathing room but Rice’s value in the transfer market will begin to depreciate due to his contract situation, so a decision on the player’s future will have to be made sooner rather than later.