Frank Lampard reveals he asked Chelsea to sign £100 million-rated star in 2020

Frank Lampard has confirmed that he wanted to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United at Chelsea in 2020.

The former Chelsea manager claims that he saw the midfielder wearing the captain’s armband for the Blues for the next 10 years, but the move did not materialize. Lampard was talking to DOAC when he said:

“When I was at Chelsea before [first stint as manager], I wanted to bring in Declan Rice. I thought, ‘This kid is going to be the captain of Chelsea for the next ten years,’ [but] it didn’t happen.”

The Athletic have reported that the previous Chelsea hierarchy were not in favor of spending big to get the academy product back. West Ham United were also reluctant to sell the star as they wanted to build a strong squad around him.

David Moyes was famously quoted saying they would only consider selling the midfielder for over £150 million. He added that the £100 million price tag they set in 2019 was ‘cheap’ and insisted that they would reject any bids that did not meet their asking price.

Three years later, Declan Rice in now expected to join Arsenal for a £105 million fee, of which £5 million are in add-ons. The two clubs have agreed on the fee and the payment structure, but have not officially completed the transfer.

Daily Mail have reported that the Gunners are waiting for their lawyers to finalize the wording of the contract. The delay has left West Ham United frustrated as they want to conclude the business soon.

The Sportzine have been told that the move should be completed later this week.