Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has praised Chelsea-linked Declan Rice whom he believes will, sooner or later, join a top side.
Italy will face England in the Euro qualifiers on Thursday, and the midfield battle between the two sides will undoubtedly play a significant role in determining the result.
Of course, Verratti and Rice are going to take part in it.
Verratti is the more experienced player of the two, but he could not hide his admiration for the West Ham midfielder.
“Rice? I really like him as a player, he gives great balance to the team,” the PSG midfielder said in his recent press conference (via Itasportpress.it).
“He is the number 6 that England needs, and I have no doubt that sooner or later he will end up in a top club.
“He has plenty of room for improvement.”
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that the feeling around Rice is that this summer would be his opportunity to leave West Ham.
He adds that Chelsea are unsurprisingly in the race, alongside London rivals Arsenal.
The 24-year-old will soon enter the final year of his contract at West Ham, although reports suggest that the club has the option to extend the deal by another year.
Still, unless they are convinced that Rice will agree to a new contract, they would know that this summer would be their best bet in selling the England international on their own terms.
Obviously, Chelsea have recently spent a club-record fee on Enzo Fernandez, so it remains unclear how much they would be prepared to pay for another midfielder.
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