West Ham United are fearful over the possibility of losing their stat midfielder Declan Rice.

What's the word?

That is according to Dean Jones, via GIVEMESPORT, who claimed that, whilst there is confidence around Jarrod Bowen signing a new contract at the London Stadium, there are some at club who are "still bracing themselves for a bid from Chelsea for Declan Rice".

The England midfielder's current contract expires in the summer of 2024, with the option of a further year. As per Transfermarkt, he is valued at £72m.

Moyes surely worried

In what has been an exceptional couple of seasons for European football-chasing West Ham, Moyes will surely be worried amidst these latest reports.

By the age of 23, Rice has nailed himself down as a vital part of the Irons' engine room, plying his trade at the very heart of the operation and starting 32 or more league games for four successive seasons.

Not only has he helped the Hammers faithful in getting over the retirement of Mark Noble by rising to prominence and taking on a similar leadership role himself, his efforts have proved pivotal in the club achieving their ambitions.

When looking at his numbers, you can immediately see his involvement as someone who pulls the strings from the middle of the park. Averaging 54.29 passes per game over the last 12 months at a completion rate of 90.6%, he keeps play ticking over from midfield, with his well-roundedness complemented by his technical ability.

Being comfortable with the ball has led to sustained attacking returns within his game, with one goal and four assists in 36 Premier League appearances last term in what is a solid return considering his role for the Hammers. It takes his career total up to 19 attacking returns in the form of ten goals and nine assists.

The England international ranks top of the Irons' squad for accurate passes, accurate long balls, successful tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, which is a perfect summary of his impact for the club, as per FotMob.

Rice is pivotal for the development of West Ham, with his potential departure set to leave a gaping hole in terms of leadership, work rate and technical ability from the heart of midfield.

Moyes will be all too aware of this and will be fearful in losing his star man following this update from Jones.

In other news: Moyes now eyeing West Ham swoop for £17m speedster, he'd be a statement signing