If West Ham United’s valuation of Declan Rice is met this summer he will become the third most expensive soccer player ever.
Rice has proven himself to be one of the best players in the Premier League over the past five years.
Impressed by his displays at the London Stadium, both Manchester United and Chelsea are keen to offer Rice a platform to perform on a more prestigious stage.
And according to the Daily Mail, West Ham bosses have reluctantly accepted that it makes sense for them to cash-in at the end of the season.
But they will reportedly demand a £150m transfer fee.
At present, based on figures from the Daily Mail, only two players have ever been sold for more than £150m. They are PSG duo Neymar (£198m) and Kylian Mbappe (£163m).
West Ham want £150m for Declan Rice, which would make him the third most expensive soccer player of all time
IMAGO/Cover Images/Daniel Chesterton
Chelsea are currently operating under a transfer ban but it will be lifted as soon as Roman Abramovich is replaced as owner.
If Chelsea were able to spend £150m on Rice this summer, the 23-year-old would smash their club transfer record by over £50m.
Romelu Lukaku is currently Chelsea’s priciest signing, having arrived for £97.5m from Inter Milan last year.
Meanwhile, Paul Pogba is United’s current record signing, having cost £89m when he re-joined from Juventus in 2016.
Most Expensive Soccer Players Ever
| Player | To | From | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Neymar |
PSG |
Barcelona |
£198m |
2017 |
|
2. Kylain Mbappe |
PSG |
Monaco |
£163m |
2018 |
|
3. Philippe Coutinho |
Barcelona |
Liverpool |
£140m |
2018 |
|
4. Joao Felix |
Atletico Madrid |
Benfica |
£114m |
2019 |
|
5. Antoine Griezmann |
Barcelona |
Atletico Madrid |
£107m |
2019 |
|
6. Jack Grealish |
Manchester City |
Aston Villa |
£100m |
2021 |
|
7. Romelu Lukaku |
Chelsea |
Inter Milan |
£97.5m |
2021 |
|
8. Ousmane Dembele |
Barcelona |
Dortmund |
£97m |
2017 |
|
=9. Paul Pogba |
Manchester United |
Juventus |
£89m |
2016 |
|
=9. Eden Hazard |
Real Madrid |
Chelsea |
£89m |
2019 |
Pogba is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer when his contact expires.
The France star recently gave a big interview with French newspaper Le Figaro in which he revealed that he has suffered with depression during his second spell at United.
Pogba also said in the interview that the last five seasons have not “satisfied” him and that he considers this season to be “dead”.
Of the current top ten most expensive soccer players of all time, Pogba is not the only one who could move on a free transfer this summer.
Fellow Frenchmen Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele are both approaching the final three months of their current contracts at PSG and Barcelona respectively.