Declan Rice makes surprising admission on future after Europa Conference League triumph
By Tom Gott
Declan Rice has assured West Ham United fans he does not currently need to say goodbye as he prepares for another summer of significant uncertainty.
Rice has long been admired by Europe's elite and, with one year and a 12-month extension clause left on his contract, is expected to be the subject of some significant bids following Wednesday's Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina.
90min understands Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all hold significant interest in the 24-year-old, while Bayern Munich have also voiced a desire to sign Rice this summer.
Asked for an update on his future after ending West Ham's 43-year wait for major silverware, Rice insisted he currently has no reason to think he has played his final match for the Hammers.
"It's not goodbye yet, there's loads of speculation about my future and there is interest from other clubs, but look, nothing's happened," he told BT Sport after the game.
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"I'm a West Ham player, I've still got two years left on my contract, I love every minute of playing for this club and captaining this club, you can see the smile on my face. It's not about that tonight, it's about us celebrating. Let's wait and see what happens."
West Ham have accepted they are likely to part ways with Rice this summer but are prepared to hold firm on their asking price of £100m - seen as a fair price for a player of Rice's age, ability and status as an England international.
The pursuit of Rice is expected to accelerate drastically now that West Ham's season is over, with the midfielder previously keeping out of conversations over his future in order to keep his focus on the Europa Conference League final.
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