David Moyes has dismissed speculation linking Declan Rice with a switch to Chelsea and insisted the West Ham star is not for sale.
Frank Lampard is reportedly a massive fan of Rice and wants to bring the midfielder back to Stamford Bridge and transform him into a centre-back.
There are rumours that West Ham are demanding as much as £70million for Rice, but Moyes rubbished claims any bids had been made.
‘It was always the plan that there was no intention to lose Declan Rice – we had no bids and no enquiries,’ Moyes said in a press conference on Friday.
‘I can only tell you what I know, and I wouldn’t have wanted to lose him anyway.
‘He’s so important, a big part of the squad, has been captain already, and is learning a lot about leadership from Mark Noble.
‘I’m hoping in the future we have an incredibly talented footballer with leadership skills and who is motivated to be captain of West Ham.’
Rice was released as a youngster by Chelsea, but it appears the Blues will have to fork out big money to re-sign the 21-year-old.
Chelsea have been the Premier League’s big spenders this summer with the signings of Thiago Silva, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Malang Sarr and Ben Chilwell.
West Ham, on the other hand, have been chasing a new centre-back while also trying to offload some big earners from their wage bill.
Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has reportedly been asked to cancel his contract and Moyes was quizzed about the injury-stricken Englishman’s future.
He said: ‘Jack’s got a year to go on his contract. He’s here and has been very good.
‘I’ve really enjoyed working with him. For all the injuries he’s supposedly had, he’s been fantastic in training, so I’ve enjoyed having him.’
