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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Chris Doyle

Jack Grealish's message to Declan Rice as Antonio Conte claims Chelsea dodged £50m bullet


Declan Rice has reminded Chelsea why he is a man in demand after his wonder goal for West Ham in the Europa League.

The England midfielder netted a brilliant solo strike as the Hammers opened their campaign with an impressive 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb.

Rice, who was linked with a move to the Blues and Manchester United in the summer, is continuing to attract interest from Premier League clubs.

READ MORE: 'He moved like a Rolls-Royce!' - Declan Rice likened to two Man Utd midfield greats

And his moment of magic in Croatia will have definitely made his suitors stand up and take notice once again.

Jack Grealish hailed Declan Rice's goal for West Ham (The FA via Getty Images)


HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Chelsea splash the cash on Declan Rice? Leave a comment below.

Manchester City star Jack Grealish hailed his England teammate's goal and joked that his burst of speed in the build-up proves that he deserves more pace in video game FIFA.

He said: "I told you Declan Rice you should be higher than 66 pace on FIFA."

West Ham have valued their prized asset at £100million and hope Rice's stock will continue to rise, which could tempt teams into meeting their demands.

Another player that fell out of Chelsea's reach in the summer was Achraf Hakimi who signed for Paris Saint-Germain instead of Thomas Tuchel's men.

The Stamford Bridge were in advanced talks for the Inter Milan full-back as he became available but opted to join the French side for a reported £50m fee with the defender signing a deal until 2026.

But they might have dodged a bullet based on what his former manager Antonio Conte said about his move to the Parc des Princes.

He suggested Hakimi might not be staying in France's capital for the long term as he dreams of playing for Real Madrid once again.

Hakimi had a difficult spell at the Bernabeu as he was sent out on loan to Borussia Dortmund, before making the permanent switch to Inter.

Achraf Hakimi joined PSG in the summer (Rex)

The Moroccan revived his career at the San Siro last season before joining PSG in the summer and Conte reckons he wants another crack at being a success with Madrid.

Talking to Sky Sport Italia about his former player, the ex-Chelsea boss said: "Psychologically, Hakimi suffered a little bit from last year's games against Real Madrid.

"His dream is to play for that club again as a key player."

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