West Ham have placed a British transfer record price tag of £150m on Declan Rice, ahead of expected interest in the midfielder this summer.
West Ham face a fight to retain the services of Rice after the England international turned down a new deal at the London Stadium, with the Hammers reluctantly accepting that the club will have to cash in on the 23-year-old.
Manchester United have emerged as the favourites to sign Rice, though the Mail are reporting that it will cost the Red Devils a British record of £150m to prise the midfielder from the capital.
Chelsea are also interested in a deal for Rice – who spent time in the club’s academy system before being released as a teenager – but the west Londoners are unable to purchase new players at present amid the sanctions placed on owner Roman Abramovich.
West Ham will demand that Rice becomes the Premier League’s most expensive footballer of all time, eclipsing the current record of £100m set by Jack Grealish’s move from Aston Villa to Manchester City last summer.
Rice has two years remaining on his current contract, though the Hammers have an option to extend that deal by a further season.
West Ham’s chances of keeping Rice for a further season could improve with Champions League qualification, though David Moyes’ side have fallen adrift of the top four in the Premier League.
The Hammers do have a chance to reach Europe’s elite by winning the Europa League, however, with the club set to face Lyon in the quarter-finals next month.
