Transfer Talk: Rice battle cooking up nicely between United and Chelsea

Manchester United and Chelsea are at the front of the queue to land West Ham talisman Declan Rice this summer.

England international Rice, 23, is valued at £100million by the Hammers but that hefty price tag is still unlikely to put off Europe’s big hitters.

According to the Daily Mail, United have prioritised the addition of a central midfielder ahead of next season and Rice has long been on their radar.

His comments to Sky Sports following West Ham’s injury-time 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford last month did little to quash speculation either.

Rice said: "Every time I come to Old Trafford, I've always said it's one of my favourite places to play."

The situation is set to be complicated by rival interest from Chelsea.

Rice started his professional life at Stamford Bridge before being released aged 14, is childhood friends with midfielder Mason Mount and comes from a family of Blues fans.

He still spends much of his time in Kingston upon Thames and location could yet prove pivotal in any final decision.

It is likely that outgoings would be required in West London to facilitate any move and the Mail suggest that French midfielder N’Golo Kante could be the man to depart.

World Cup winner Kante, now 30, has been in and out of Thomas Tuchel’s side this season through injury and would attract huge interest if made available.

In other news

Barcelona will raid Chelsea for out-of-contract defensive duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen, according to Sport.

Azpilicueta, 32, is thought to have agreed a three-year deal to return to his homeland while Danish international Christensen, 25, is also seen as a high-quality, low-cost option by Blaugrana chiefs.

Reports in Spain suggest that Liverpool are monitoring the position of Barca’s teenage midfielder Gavi with only 18 months left on his current deal.

Already a regular at the Camp Nou despite being only 17, the playmaker has supposedly rejected his current club’s opening offer and the Reds are preparing a far more lucrative package.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is ready to commit to another year with AC Milan despite interest from elsewhere, say The Sun.

The 40-year-old Swede continues to defy his years and has netted eight goals in just 15 Serie A appearances this term.