West Ham transfer plan to replace Declan Rice revealed at London Stadium | OneFootball

West Ham United will ‘look to sign two midfielders’ when the market reopens for business if Declan Rice departs, journalist Dean Jones has told GiveMeSport.

The 24-year-old is widely expected to leave the London Stadium in the summer as he looks to take the next step in his career, and his sale would leave a significant hole in the Hammers’ engine room.

Rice’s current contract has just 18 months left to run, although West Ham do have the option to extend his stay by a further year.

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However, the England international rejected the offer of a new audacious eight-year deal in the summer and recently expressed his desire to play in the Champions League and to win silverware.

"Yeah, one hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” admitted Rice. "I see my friends here (with England at the World Cup), who are playing Champions League and competing for big trophies.

"You only get one career and at the end of it, you want to look back at what you've won and the biggest games you've played in. I really want to do that."

According to Football Insider, Arsenal are currently leading the race for Rice’s signature and are prepared to offer him £200,000-per-week to join Mikel Arteta’s project.

What has Jones said about Rice?

When asked about potential Rice replacements, Jones told GMS that West Ham will be aiming to sign a couple of players and that they need to ‘get the balance right’.

He said: “I think we need to remember, though, that West Ham will look to sign two midfielders in the summer to replace Declan Rice if and when he goes.

“So, they've really got to get the balance right of who those signings are going to be and be sure that they think they can work together.”

Who could West Ham sign?

A recent report from The Sun has stated that West Ham have put Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at the top of their wish list this summer.

The 27-year-old has entered the final 18 months of his contract at the Stadio Olimpico, and could finally make the move to the Premier League after being linked with English clubs for many years.

Meanwhile, the same outlet also claims that Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips is another player on West Ham’s radar.

Phillips only moved to the Etihad Stadium from Leeds United in the summer, but he has been unable to force himself into the starting XI on a regular basis, raising doubts over his long-term future as a result.