Danny Murphy has urged Declan Rice to leave West Ham for the sake of his career.
Murphy added that the 24-year-old England midfielder would be an ‘automatic starter’ for Premier League leaders Arsenal.
England international Rice could be on the move this summer
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Rice is tied to West Ham until 2024
With just a year left on his contract at East London, Rice is destined to be an in-demand man, and the Hammers know they may have to reluctantly part with him to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
talkSPORT understands that he may cost a whopping £120m, with boss David Moyes saying last month that he will only leave for a British record fee.
The England international is believed to be interested in a summer switch to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Manchester United are also in the running having turned down a £100m offer for his services last year.
And Chelsea, who released Rice as a 14-year-old, are also in the mix as they look to bring in a long-term successor to N’Golo Kante.
Commenting on the saga in his column for the Daily Mail, Murphy said: “Declan Rice has to leave West Ham.
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Rice recently starred in the Three Lions’ 2-1 victory in Italy
“Ideally he would have left last summer because it’s been hard for him to keep his top form in a team that doesn’t have the ball or command games as well as the others.
“He is 100 per cent ready to go to the next level and, at 24, he won’t want to wait any longer for Champions League football.
“Arsenal would be a great option and I think he would be an automatic starter.
“Chelsea’s appeal is also strong, having grown up supporting the club and playing in their academy.”
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Arsenal, Chelsea and United are known to be interested in Rice
Former West Ham, United and Tottenham striker Teddy Sheringham has echoed Murphy’s sentiment, insisting he would instantly improve Arsenal.
He told talkSPORT: “When you talk about the best players, you compare them to other best players.
“The complete midfielder could defend, attack, run forward, but also score goals.
“If you add a couple of goals to Declan’s game, not a couple, but six or seven, with what he has at the moment, you’re looking at an absolute world-winning player.
“He can go anywhere, wherever he goes he’s going to make that team a better team.
“Maybe Casemiro is in that role at Manchester United so maybe they don’t need him, but he would definitely make Arsenal a better team.
“I don’t like to say it, but they’re already good enough this season, and I don’t want to see Declan go there because it will make them a better team. He could get into any team.”
