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West Ham are hoping that Chelsea’s interest in Declan Rice is now at an end, following the sacking of Frank Lampard.
The Englishman was a big admirer of the defensive midfielder, and had identified him as a major transfer target for the summer. He was prepared to sell a number of players, amongst them Jorginho, Matteo Kovacić, Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger to fund a bid for Rice.
However, that brought him into conflict with several at the club who did not want the embarrassment of signing for a big fee a player they had released from their academy system when he was 14.
Now with Lampard gone, the Hammers are hoping that Chelsea will turn their attention elsewhere.
That does not mean all interest in Rice from outside will now abate.
Liverpool are considering a bid if Jurgen Klopp is given the funds to spend, whilst Manchester United are also monitoring his situation.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.