Chelsea are reportedly prepared to pay West Ham United's £80m asking price to bring Declan Rice back to Stamford Bridge. Rice was released by Chelsea as a youngster back in 2014. He has been linked with a number of clubs but Chelsea possess the keenest interest in his services. They were heavily linked with Rice over the summer. According to a report from the Telegraph, Chelsea had Thomas Partey on their radar as a potential alternative. However, Arsenal signed Partey in a dramatic deadline day swoop, meaning Rice is an even more attractive proposition for the Blues. Lampard was asked about the player in his pre-match press conference. "He's a fantastic player for West Ham and England so fair play, because his journey there after leaving Chelsea and going to West Ham is a good story to hear," he said. "There are lots of stories like that and it shows the player's strength of character. In terms of from our end, I certainly wouldn't use the word 'regret' - our academy is one of the best in the world and you look at our first team now with the players that we have produced who are in and around that squad. "It's not easy. It's not an exact science to pick players but the academy staff do brilliantly here. Declan Rice has given himself personal credit for having the great start to the career that he's had at West Ham."
Source: Daily Star/ *Join us on Telegram!