West Ham United's manager shocked some of the media on Saturday night with an admission he made on the future of his star man, Declan Rice.

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The Hammers earned a hard-fought point on the weekend against the high-flying Newcastle United which has seen West Ham climb outside of the relegation zone.

However, after the game, Moyes commented on the future of his main man who has been heavily linked with a potential move away in the summer:

‘Undoubtedly he’s going to be a top player and undoubtedly he’ll be a British transfer record and more whenever he leaves West Ham,’ said Moyes.

Rice has been linked with a possible move across London with the likes of Arsenal believed to be interested in snapping up the England midfielder this summer.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Craig Hope admits the comments shocked some in the press room as he admitted Rice could leave the club:

"David Moyes said afterwards - and I thought it was quite a telling admission; you know, it was fairly unprompted. He said whenever Declan Rice leaves West Ham, the bidding starts at a British transfer record."

Set for summer exit

The future of the midfielder is in question as a result of his ongoing contract debacle which will seemingly go into the summer leaving him with just one-year remaining on his deal.

It has been reported the Hammers have offered their midfielder numerous contract extensions which has seen Rice reject an extended stay on three occasions.

And it is understandable why there are teams chasing Rice ahead of the summer and why the Irons seemingly value the player so highly after what he showed on the weekend.

Across the 90 minutes on Tyneside, Rice racked up three tackles, three interceptions and a clearance, as well as providing a key pass (via Sofascore).

It was apparent Hope was left impressed with the midfielder, with the journalist suggesting he dominated the game at St. James' Park:

"He just looked bigger, stronger, quicker than everybody else. I thought he was absolutely outstanding. You can see why he is England's first-choice midfielder."

But with Rice reportedly rejecting three contract offers, it now seemingly puts a new responsibility on the club to get the absolute maximum price for the midfielder in the summer.

And the type of money which Rice could potentially bring in could allow the Irons to invest back into their squad and build on what has been a fairly disappointing campaign to date.