Chelsea lining up Declan Rice as their 9th signing of the summer

Chelsea are close to sealing the deal for Edouard Mendy this week but their transfer business is far from done. The Blues are now lining up a move for Declan Rice, according to Express.

The report claims that Frank Lampard is keen on bringing back the Chelsea academy product this summer. Declan Rice was released by the Blues at the age of 14. He subsequently moved to West Ham United and graduated from their academy.

The 21-year-old played every minute of West Ham United's 2019/20 Premier League season and helped them survive relegation. The Englishman has attracted interest from various clubs and was a target for Manchester United as well.

The Hammers are reluctant to sell their star man, who was their captain when Mark Noble was not playing. That has not stopped Chelsea from pushing for a move, and a deal could take place before the end of the window, as per Express.

Ashley Cole recently spoke about Declan Rice and said that the Englishman has got it all to be a top midfielder. He added that the West Ham star could be an integral part of the English XI soon. He said:

“Gareth Southgate eluded to maybe Dier wanting to play centre-back a little bit more. I think Rice can step in, in midfield. He’s been very good for West Ham. He’s definitely a key player for West Ham. What he brings is, he can tackle, he can break up play, he’s clever and he can pass. You want him to be brave on the ball, break things up, but then penetrate through lines with the quality pass that he’s got. He’s a big strong lad, and he’s not afraid to put himself about and win tackles. He’s going to be integral for this team going forward.”

If signed, Edouard Mendy and Declan Rice will become Chelsea's 8th and 9th signing of the window after Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Xavier Mbuyamba, Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva.

Chelsea have been ruthless in the market after serving a ban in the previous summer transfer window.