Liverpool have registered their interest in a summer deal for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, according to reports.
What's the latest on Rice to Liverpool?
The Irons captain's contract in the capital is set to expire at the end of next season meaning that the upcoming window is likely to be David Moyes' side's final big opportunity to cash in on their prized asset, and being their overall best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.05, he won't be short of suitors in the Premier League.
The London Stadium manager has admitted that the 24-year-old is likely to bring in a "British transfer record" should he be sold ahead of the start of the new campaign, but money aside, the Reds aren't allowing themselves to be put off by his exponential price tag.
Journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed in April that the Merseyside outfit have added the England international to their "shortlist" of midfield options, with him being just one of several candidates to have been internally "discussed" with Jurgen Klopp, and it would appear that they have now made their admiration known to all parties.
According to Sky Sports, Liverpool, alongside top-flight rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, have all "shown an interest" in a summer move for Rice. West Ham will "allow" their skipper to leave should they receive an offer of £120m from a club in the Champions League, though they would also "accept" £100m in cash plus a player being sent the opposite way as part of a swap deal.
The Irons will "not stand in the way" of letting him go if a suitable proposal was to arrive as a mark of "respect" and "recognition" for everything he's done for the E20 outfit over the years.
Should Liverpool splash the cash on Rice?
Liverpool are desperately in need of central reinforcements as a result of having four of their players out of contract at the end of the season, and having been dubbed a “midfield general” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Rice would be a perfect candidate to put pen to paper.
The Irons talisman, who’s sponsored by Adidas, incredibly ranks in the 97th percentile for interceptions across Europe's top leagues and sits in the top half of midfielders for every single defensive metric. He has also tackled 78 players since the start of the term, which is higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBRef.
The World Cup participant, who is a versatile operator with his ability to play in five different positions across the field, also has the capability to contribute to his team’s efforts in the final third having posted 27 senior goal involvements for his boyhood club, so FSG would certainly be getting their money’s worth if they were to empty their pockets.
