Chelsea have reportedly submitted their first official bid for Declan Rice.
The West Ham United midfielder has long been linked with a move to the Blues, who actually released him from their youth system as a 15-year-old.
It has been claimed that Blues head coach Frank Lampard has made Rice a transfer priority this summer.
And according to Sky Sports journalist Angelo Mangiante, Chelsea have submitted their first official bid for the England international as they continue to try and strengthen ahead of next season.
It is has been reported that Chelsea have offered £50million for Rice as the Blues board try to come to an agreement with their London rivals - although football.london understands that those claims are wide of the mark, with no bid made yet.
But the Blues' interest will no doubt pose questions over the future of the current midfielders at Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho and N'Golo Kante have both been linked with moves to Italy in recent months, although Maurizio Sarri's sacking at Juventus has ended any interest the Old Lady had in Jorginho.
It seems unlikely that £50m will be enough to land Rice, however, with West Ham reportedly valuing the 21-year-old at around £70m.
After his release from Chelsea, Rice was snapped up by West Ham and signed his first professional contract in 2015.
He has so far won seven England caps having controversially switched from representing Ireland in 2019.
Rice's ability to play centre-back could well also be part of Chelsea's interest in the player, with Lampard also said to be keen to bolster his defence this season.
West Ham are said to have identified Rice as the natural successor to Mark Noble in midfield and are keen to keep him.
