Chelsea board 'really keen' to sign 'world-class' £150m star at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea‘s new owners are “really keen” to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The 23-year-old was a target during the previous regime at Stamford Bridge, but Phillips says there are members of Todd Boehly’s consortium who also want to sign him.

The Telegraph recently reported that Rice is still on Chelsea’s radar.

In the past, the same outlet has claimed that former Blues managers Thomas Tuchel and Frank Lampard both wanted to bring the Englishman to west London.

However, Rice’s price tag has proven to be a sticking point, with West Ham boss David Moyes stating that his valuation is £150m.

“£150 million just now would be the minimum, but he is not for sale,” the Scotsman said last April. “What I do know is that it means there are only certain clubs that could even consider it.”

While there has obviously been a lot of change at Stamford Bridge, Phillips has told GIVEMESPORT that Chelsea still want to sign Rice.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: “We reported earlier this week before that article came out that there are members of the Chelsea board that would absolutely love to bring Declan Rice to Chelsea still.

“I’m not sure whether that’s Todd Boehly or a level down from him, but there are definitely people in the new ownership group who are really keen to still try and sign Rice.”

Read more: Champions League 2022/23: Fixtures, Draw, Dates, Schedule, Final, Teams and Everything We Know So Far

Graham Potter faces a potential midfield crisis next summer, with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho both out of contract then.

And even if they can get Kante and Jorginho to put pen to paper on new deals, it would probably only be a short-term fix.

The France international and the Italy