Chelsea might yet make another move for Declan Rice this summer — reports

While the current consensus is that Chelsea have been put off by West Ham’s asking price for Declan Rice, and Thiago Silva has been brought in instead as a “transition period” signing, certain quarters appear to believe that Chelsea are still interested in making a move for the West Ham vice-captain in this transfer window.

According to Sky Italia, who broke the story on Chelsea’s first bid (those reports have since then been refuted, but Sky Italia don’t care), now claim that the Blues are going to make a second bid.

This new-found optimism might have something to do with Chelsea being able to broker a lower fee for Ben Chilwell as well as the Hammers’ difficulty in offloading other players who are on their roster.

While Declan Rice was reportedly the last player whom West Ham would sell, the current market scenario could mean that they are forced into doing so — an outcome that was predicted earlier in the summer as well.

The Guardian is also reporting along similar lines, claiming that Frank Lampard wants more defensive reinforcements and Declan Rice is the primary target.

While it still seems unlikely that we would make a move for Rice before the transfer window shuts on October 5th, Chelsea’s current form in the calciomercato means that we cannot rule out that possibility with dead certainty. If West Ham drop their asking price or get more receptive to the idea of a part-exchange swap deal, there is always a chance that Declan Rice could become a Chelsea player once again, and soon.