Chelsea are interested in signing Declan Rice from West Ham, according to a report from Sky Sports. But it just doesn’t add up.
The midfield is the most packed department at Chelsea. Frank Lampard has Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Billy Gilmour as options for the holding midfield role.
Then there are Ethan Ampadu and Trevoh Chalobah, who are currently on loan at RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town respectively, in the queue for a breakthrough in a similar role.
Even if Jorginho, who is linked with a reunion with Maurizio Sarri at Juventus, eventually leaves, Lampard would have enough options for a replacement.
With Pedro, Willian, Olivier Giroud and Willy Caballero – whose contracts have entered their final months – likely to leave this summer, Chelsea will have more than enough areas to prioritise this summer.
The Blues are also reportedly in the market for a left-back since neither Marcos Alonso nor Emerson Palmieri seems to have convinced Lampard.
The report also suggested West Ham would demand a massive fee for Rice, who still has four years on his contract at the London Stadium.
It is hard to argue that Rice is an elite holding midfielder.
He has completed an average of three tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game (ranked eight and ninth among Premier League players this season).
Rice would make a good addition to any team in the Premier League, including Chelsea. It is just that the Blues do not need another number six, especially at the cost of over £50million.
He is a former Chelsea academy player and a close friend of Mason Mount. But those surely do not make good reasons to squeeze in another player to the already crowded Chelsea midfield.