PRICE OF RICE TOO HIGH FOR CITY & CO

DARREN LEWIS

WEST HAM will refuse to sell Declan Rice this summer after the midfielder turned down an new eight-year deal worth £200,0000 a week.

The England star, rated at £150million by his club, drove the Hammers to the semi-finals of the Europa League this season and to the brink of the top six for the second year in a row.

Rice (above) has so far rejected three new deals with the Hammers, who are keen to keep him from the clutches of the Premier League’s biggest teams this summer.

The Londoners are confident that none of their rivals will match the monster asking price for their skipper, who has two years left on his contract with an option for a further year.

Set against that, Rice’s camp still believe he could get between £300,000 to £400,000 a week and Champions League football at one of the bigger clubs.

Manchester United are hunting new midfield options, with Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Paul Pogba set to leave Old Trafford with their contracts expiring.

Manchester City are ready to turn their attention to a new central midfielder with 37-year-old Brazilian Fernandinho set to leave in July.

And Chelsea are preparing for a squad overall after their title charge fizzled out and they were eliminated from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage.

Stamford Bridge boss Thomas Tuchel has already said they could not meet the £150m asking price, but Rice does have admirers at the club where he was in the academy.

West Ham could still finish in the Premier League’s top six and qualify automatically for the Europa League group stages again – if they win their last two matches and United falter in their final match of the season at Crystal Palace.