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Football London
Football London
Sport
Louie Chandler

Chelsea and Man United set for £100m Declan Rice blow as Erik ten Hag faces early challenge

Chelsea are set for a huge test this summer in their chase of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice with Manchester City ready to launch a bid of their own for the highly-rated ace. Manchester United have also made Rice a priority ahead of the summer with new manager Erik ten Hag facing an early test.

Thomas Tuchel is looking to bolster his midfield options as a priority this summer with both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante set to enter the final year of their respective deals. Mateo Kovacic has been Chelsea's outstanding midfielder this season but beyond the trio there is little in the way of top-class support.

So attentions have turned to the future. Rice is among those targeted by the Blues alongside Monaco's Aurelien Tchouameni and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham. West Ham are understood to want in excess off £100 million for the 23-year-old this summer with no pressure on the Hammers to sell due to his length of contract in east London. But in the same week he rejected a new deal in east London, Tuchel expressed his admiration for the player ahead of the clash between the two sides on Sunday.

READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel delivers Declan Rice verdict after Chelsea target rejects third West Ham contract

“Very highly," Tuchel replied during his pre-match media duties when asked how he rates the midfielder. "He seems to be a very nice guy from what everybody tells me and is from the Chelsea academy and he proves this [his quality]. That’s the most important thing. It feels like he plays every single game.

“He is available, is captain, plays with a lot of responsibility, is a physical player, very strategic-minded player, a key player for his team, and is strong at set-pieces. This is not a surprise. Everybody sees this. He is a huge part of the success of West Ham and it is impressive.”

But as per a report from MailOnline, Manchester City are looking to win the race for the player's signature. There was speculation that as a result of an apparent deal for Erling Haaland, they may move on from Rice to other targets but that does not appear to be the case, handing Chelsea and Manchester United a real blow in the race.

With Fernandino set to depart at the end of the season, a gap has opened up at the heart of Pep Guardiola's midfield and the Spaniard's bosses have made it clear that there are funds available to sign both Rice and Haaland.

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