Journalist Paul Brown has said that Chelsea may have cooled their interest in Declan Rice following Marina Granovskaia’s exit.
Last year, The Telegraph reported that the west Londoners were looking to revive their interest in Rice when former boss Thomas Tuchel was in charge.
However, back in June, it was announced that Granovskaia would be leaving her position as sporting director at Stamford Bridge.
With Frank Lampard sacked in 2021, Brown has suggested that the Blues may no longer have their sights set on the midfielder after the exit of two major driving forces behind a potential deal.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “Declan Rice is an interesting one because Marina Granovskaia was one of the people who wanted him quite badly when she was still around. Also, Frank Lampard was a huge fan of his.
“Neither of those two are at Chelsea any longer, so it remains to be seen how interested Chelsea are still in Declan Rice.”
According to The Athletic, Graham Potter’s side are among the clubs interested in Jude Bellingham and Brown feels that he may have taken priority over Rice when it comes to who Chelsea will target as they look to refresh their midfield.
Both England internationals are very evenly matched, with Bellingham averaging more tackles and blocks per 90 minutes this season (Fbref), while his compatriot is making twice as many interceptions per game.
19-year-old Bellingham, plying his trade at Borussia Dortmund, averages slightly more shot-creating actions per 90 (2.29) compared to Rice (2.14) at West Ham.
Journalist Roshane Thomas has dubbed the latter a ‘generational talent’ while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has labelled Bellingham ‘world-class’, with both candidates extremely viable options for the Blues’ midfield.
Both are likely to cost over £100m, so it will be interesting to see who Chelsea decide to invest in.
