Frank Lampard has been believed to be wanting to sign West Ham United’s Declan Rice in the summer. The 21-year old defensive midfielder has been constantly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the recent weeks.
Rice is a former Blues youth academy product, having joined Chelsea FC when he was seven years old. However, upon being released by the Blues in 2014, the player signed on for fellow London-based Premier League side West Ham United. Since then, Rice has emerged as one of the brightest prospects in English football.
However, there is a specific reason for Lampard’s desire for bringing Rice back to Chelsea FC. The Blues manager reportedly wants to play the 21-year old as a centre-back in the Chelsea FC side. Rice has played as a central defender on numerous occasions for the Hammers in the past.
Lampard has been unable to find the perfect centre-back pairing for the Blues since he was appointed the Chelsea FC manager. He has tried to field the duo of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on a few occasions. However, the pairing has failed to impress him due to their inconsistency in form and inability to defend well against the attackers of the top-six teams in the Premier League.
Rice has been believed to be open to the idea of changing his position on the football pitch. Due to his impressive tacking ability, the West Ham United player should not face any difficulties in adjusting to a new role under Frank Lampard. Moreover, there seems to be significantly less competition among the current defenders at Stamford Bridge.
Moreover, the 21-year old English international has been desirous of moving back to Chelsea FC. Rice is hopeful of making his mark on the Blues this time. He had failed to impress the Chelsea FC coaches when he was at the team’s academy during his teenage days.
Chelsea FC are confident of securing Rice’s signature in the summer transfer window. Frank Lampard has no shortage of funds at his disposal to finance what is expected to be an expensive signing in the form of Rice. West Ham United has no intention of letting the 21-year old leave, with manager David Moyes claiming that Rice is probably the side’s best midfield option.
