Chelsea will reportedly offer Tammy Abraham to West Ham in a bid to lower the Hammers’ asking fee for the midfielder.
According to The Telegraph, Thomas Tuchel has earmarked Rice has one of his top targets this summer but the Blues are unwilling to stump up the Hammers’ £90million asking price for the midfielder.
Rice was a longstanding target of Frank Lampard while he was at Chelsea and it is said Stamford Bridge chiefs were reluctant to pay £70m to sign him last summer.
However, Chelsea are looking to reduce the asking fee by offering Abraham in a player-plus-cash deal, the report states.
Abraham, 23, has started just three matches since Tuchel replaced Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hot seat in January.
talkSPORT’s transfer guru Alex Crook claims West Ham are chasing Abraham along with Southampton’s Danny Ings and Everton’s Josh King.
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He said: “It’s pretty clear that Tammy Abraham is persona non grata at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel.
“He’s only played three minutes since February 20. He’d be clearly frustrated by that lack of game time. Chelsea fans are getting frustrated as well.
“But you can’t argue with Chelsea’s results without Abraham in the team. Inevitably, there will be interest from other clubs because there aren’t that many old school number nines, Tammy is one.
“West Ham United would be very interested in taking Tammy Abraham this summer.
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“Chelsea want somewhere in the region of £40m for a player who has proven last season that he can score goals in the Premier League.
“West Ham have been on the hunt for a number nine since they sold Sebastien Haller [to Ajax] in the last transfer window.
“They’ve got an interest in Danny Ings at Southampton as well, although, my understanding is that he has a gentleman’s agreement with Saints that he will only leave if either of the two Manchester clubs come in for him.
“If not, he will sign a new contract to become their highest paid player. West Ham have got a longstanding interest in Joshua King.
“He hasn’t pulled up any trees at Everton, so you’d imagine he’d be available as a cheaper option to Abraham.”
Meanwhile, former West Ham midfielder Trevor Sinclair insists Abraham would be a hit at the Hammers or Arsenal.
He told talkSPORT: “Abraham would be a great match for West Ham. It’s what they want, it’s what they need with [Michail] Antonio’s injuries.
“He tends to pick up quite a lot of muscular because he is an absolute unit. The West Ham fans would love Abraham.
“He’s got everything. Arsenal could do with him, too. [Alexandre] Lacazette is getting older. He’d be a hold-up player, bringing something slightly different with his height.
“He’s mobile, he’s got good feet, he could be a good pick for Arsenal.
“But he’s obviously a talented player. I’m a big fan of his. I just want to see him playing football.
“If he’s not developing and continuing to improve as a player, he’s standing still and that’s not great for a young player.”
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