Chelsea to reignite Declan Rice pursuit — report

England won their first game at the World Cup in rather impressive fashion, thrashing the Asian Cup semifinalists Iran, 6-2 on Monday. Clearly, not only is it coming home, it’s coming home in spectacular fashion!

Meanwhile, the players budding legends themselves are set to earn a “cash bonanza” following their nailed-on triumphs, with European clubs on “red alert” and remortgaging all their assets in a desperate attempt to outbid each other for even a glance from the likes of Jude Bellingham or Declan Rice. And Todd Boehly & Co were there in person, and are probably wondering if we could just trade all the England players to Chelsea somehow.

At least that’s the word from the Telegraph, adding that those not expected to be moving clubs in the summer, like Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount, will instead cash in big by agreeing new contracts with their current teams. At this rate, they’re going to be worth zillions after beating such powerhouses as the USA and Wales in their other two group games — before inevitably falling in a quarterfinal penalty shootout.

That bit of silliness aside, the report does seem quite convinced that Chelsea will reignite our pursuit of Declan Rice, especially with his price tag apparently no longer at Bank of England levels. West Ham’s resolve has been worn down by Rice continuing to not extend his contract, which expires in 18 months, and they thus “face the prospect of having to sell Rice for around £70m” in the summer. That’s still a lot, but also a lot less than the £100m+ rumored before.

Oh, and apparently the Christopher Nkunku thing is a done deal, and barely worth a throwaway line at the very end of the piece. Bazinga!