Chelsea could make a bid for West Ham captain Declan Rice in “the next 48 hours”,  a source has told the Claret & Hugh.

The website, which is known to have insiders at the Hammers, says a “top” informant is adamant that an offer from the Blues is imminent.

Rice has already been the subject of an £80m bid from Arsenal, which was rejected out of the hand by West Ham, while Manchester City are also weighing up a proposal of their own.

Chelsea have had a longstanding interest in Rice but, it must be said, that they will find it hard to match the midfielder’s £120m asking price due to Financial Fair Play restrictions.

A potential swap deal may be on the cards

Irons boss David Moyes is a well-known admirer of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and there is a strong possibility that the 23-year-old will be included in the Blues’ opening bid.

There are still, though, concerns over whether Mauricio Pochettino’s side will table a proposal that will prove to be satisfactory.

Gallagher is valued at around £40m to £50m by Chelsea, which means the Blues will have to add a substantial amount of cash on top of the player for it to be seen as a good deal by West Ham.

Arsenal are expected to return with another bid for Rice

Although competition for the midfielder appears to be increasing, the Gunners are said to be confident of beating their rivals to the Hammers star’s signature.

After having fallen well short with their first offer, Arsenal will need to get much closer to Rice’s valuation, otherwise, they could well have the transfer hijacked by the likes of Chelsea or City.

It’s a fast-moving story and the situation is changing by the hour, so we will keep you posted on the latest developments.