Chelsea's long-term pursuit of Declan Rice could be finally realised, with two flops exiting Stamford Bridge to make way for the West Ham wonder.
That's according to football.london, who say that the west Londoners may choose to cash in on Bundesliga buys Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner, who have been underwhelming since moves to the Premier League.
Pulisic was bought by Chelsea in January of 2019 but loaned back to Dortmund until the end of the season. Though the American international has delivered some great moments in a Blues shirt, including an FA Cup final goal and a perfect hat-trick against Burnley, highlights have been few and far between since his big-money transfer.
Timo Werner, likewise, has disappointed since swapping Leipzig for London. The forward has demonstrated the lightning pace that made him a threat in Germany but has too often shown wayward finishing and hasn't recaptured the lightning that he had before arriving in England.
With Chelsea lacking clear cohesion in their attack – as well as having a plethora of profiles who have failed to gel under two successive managers – it would make sense for this pair to be jettisoned in pursuit of new blood.
West Ham star Rice, meanwhile, left the Cobham academy as a boy but has blossomed into one of the standout midfielders in European football. The England star was coveted by Frank Lampard during his time as Blues boss and is thought to be the successor to Declan Rice by transfer directors at the European champions.
The Irons would not sell their prized asset without a fight, however. Even for a club with the financial might of Chelsea, there could be a big battle ahead of any prospective transfer for the 23-year-old.
Rice is valued at £67.5m by Transfermarkt.
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