Report: Liverpool interested in West Ham midfielder Declan Rice

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Florian Plettenberg has reported that Liverpool are interested in midfielder Declan Rice, who plays for fellow Premier League side West Ham.

The Reds have decided to not pursue Borussia Dortmund and England star Jude Bellingham. This is due to them needing to spend money on multiple players in multiple positions.

Due to this, they have had to create a shortlist of other stars who are possibly available for a cheaper price than Bellingham. Rice is one of the central midfielders on the shortlist.

West Ham have also been looking for a possible Declan Rice replacement. This was reported by the Evening Standard.

Liverpool shortlist Declan Rice as Jude Bellingham alternative

It is understandable to see Liverpool look elsewhere for a midfielder. Their Premier League campaign this season has been poor and they look like they will not qualify for the Champions League. Due to this, they need to massively improve the squad.

24 year old Rice has an abundance of experience, both in the Premier League and for England. He is a box-to-box midfielder who is great at putting a tackle in and has the odd goal in him.

Fellow England star Kieran Trippier piled the praise on Rice as he said: “Declan’s unbelievable, I don’t know if you watched the game the other day when we played West Ham, but just his intelligence, the way he breaks up play and how he travels with it, and how powerful he is. Unbelievable, probably one of the best in the world at what he does.”

This is high praise and with the West Ham star still very young, he has the potential to get even better. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has proven that he is a great coach as well as a manager and he could definitely make Rice an even better player.

With this in mind, the move would be great for the Merseyside club. The only issue is that Liverpool may struggle to sign him if they don’t qualify for Europe.