Chelsea have been one of the most active Premier League clubs in the ongoing summer transfer window. And maybe that doesn't come as a big surprise given Frank Lampard's Blues have indeed suffered that niggling transfer ban not that long ago so they've been playing catch-up ever since. Now, according to an exclusive report from The Sun, they were given a huge boost in the chase of West Ham's Declan Rice.

The paper insists the Hammers might be forced to sell their star if they are to bring in some new faces themselves this summer. Of course, having narrowly avoided relegation at the very end of the 2019/20 season, David Moyes will be keen on reinforcing the team for the upcoming campaign, something he's confirmed himself recently as well.

Naturally, the news from West Ham's camp is that they still don't want to part with their talent and player of the year but there's also the feeling that it would be quite hard for them to turn down an offer that comes close to their £70m valuation.

Besides, with the recent outbreak of the virus which has emptied both the stadiums and the register, the Hammers don't exactly have the funds to refresh the squad.

The only way to actually do that may be to first sell in order to buy. And no player on their squad can get them as much as Rice. Of course, they would lose an incredible asset but they might not have a choice at the end of the day.

Verdict

Chelsea have been extremely busy this summer and are still expected to finalise a couple of deals despite the fact it's still quite early in the window. Apparently Lampard wants to convert Rice back into a defender to boost an area that's been the Blues' weak spot for quite some time now.

There's no doubting the 21-year-old's quality and potential but Chelsea will have to splash the cash to get him.