Declan Rice has outlined his desire to play in the Champions League and compete for major honours, implying that his future lies away from West Ham United.
According to The Guardian, Rice was clear about his ambitions to play at the highest possible level when speaking to the assembled media in Qatar.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United have all been monitoring the midfielder’s situation and are expected to fight for his signature next summer.
West Ham are aware of Rice’s plans to leave and don’t intend to stand in his way if they receive a suitably large offer. They value their prize asset at around £100million.
“One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League. For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that,” admitted Rice.
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies.
“You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Rice’s progress has been accelerated by the game time West Ham have been able to give him, but he now wants to test himself in a more competitive environment.
The 23-year-old believes he’s ready for the next step, having already racked up more than 200 senior appearances since he made his debut against Burnley on the final day of the 2016-17 season.
He has made great strides on the international stage too after controversially switching his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland in 2019.
Rice had won three caps for his grandparents’ country when he elected to represent England instead, becoming a permanent fixture in Gareth Southgate’s side.
He has started all three of their games at the World Cup, helping the Three Lions to top their group and set up a round of 16 clash with Senegal.
