Declan Rice is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League (Photo: Getty)
David Moyes admits West Ham are planning for life after Declan Rice amid links to Arsenal and Chelsea.
Rice is expected to leave his boyhood club this summer as West Ham look to cash-in on their captain and defensive midfielder as he enters the last year of his contract.
Chelsea had looked to be the favourite to sign him, especially given the 24-year-old’s close ties to the Blues, but in the last few months Arsenal have emerged as the surprise frontrunner for his signature.
Mikel Arteta is looking to improve the depth of his midfield for next season and reportedly wants both Rice and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo at the Emirates.
Rice has also been linked with Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester United.
All this depends on whether West Ham will indeed sell, with the Irons looking for around £100million for the England star, while they also have the option to extend his current deal by another year.
But their manager Moyes, who has often remained quiet on the matter, has now admitted that the club are preparing for his departure though he is naturally very keen to hold on to his star player.
David Moyes is think about life after Rice (Photo: Getty)
Moyes was asked in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday night’s clash against Liverpool whether next season’s planning included a with and without Rice scenario, with the 60-year-old replying: ‘Yeah, obviously he is such an important player.
‘He would be missed by any club, so any club who didn’t have him would miss him and we certainly would, partly because he is a big part.
‘But my hope somewhere is that Dec thinks this is the best place for him to be and if somebody doesn’t come up with the right amount of money, it will continue to be the place he is as well.
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‘The club have made that pretty plain, but I hope we can continue to get the best out of Dec.’
If this season is to be Rice’s last at the London Stadium, he’ll hope to go out on a high, with the club through to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they’ll face Dutch side AZ.
But he’ll also hope to guide West Ham to safety, with the Irons currently 14th in the table and just six points clear of the relegation zone, with tough fixtures against Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United to come.
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The West Ham captain is expected to leave in the summer.
