West Ham manager David Moyes has vowed Declan Rice will not be sold for less than £150million ($196.7m), and that the price tag is now “north” of that eye-watering figure.
England midfielder Rice, 23, is a reported target for both Chelsea and Manchester United, but the Hammers boss is digging his heels in.
Moyes saw Tottenham reject four bids from Manchester City for England captain Harry Kane last summer, and says West Ham will take a similar stance with their star man.
“The first thing to say is that he is not for sale,” said Moyes, whose West Ham side take on Everton at the London Stadium on Sunday.
“But if you are interested, well, it will be north of that, because £100m was cheap last summer, and £150m just now would be minimum – but he is not for sale.
“I look at what Tottenham did with Harry Kane, albeit it in a different way. They said, ‘no, there is a price and if someone wants to pay the price, then we’d probably do it. If they don’t then he’s not going anywhere’. That’s it, they have kept him.
“In many ways, the football clubs are the people in charge, they’ve got the contracts.
“There will be times when players have got the power but at the moment we have got Declan on the best part of a three-and-a-half-year contract, just like Tottenham have got Harry Kane on a contract and they control what happens.”
Tottenham 3 West Ham 1: player ratings
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TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris 6 – Beaten at his near post for Benrahma’s goal, which the Frenchman might be disappointed with. Had very little else to deal with, as West Ham lacked conviction in front of goal. Getty -
Cristian Romero 6 – Gave the ball away in dangerous positions on a handful of occasions. Having said that, the Argentine was arguably Spurs’ best defender when the home side was put under pressure. AP -
Eric Dier 7 – A mature display from the 28-year-old, who expertly marshalled the backline. His excellent distribution out from the back will also please his manager. Action Images -
Ben Davies 6 – Much improved in the second half, recovering well from a nervy end to the first. He showed good composure in key moments. AFP -
Matt Doherty 7 – Carried his fine form into this tie, adding plenty of energy and dynamism to Spurs’ play from the wing-back position. The Irishman has already established a good understanding with Dejan Kulusevski going forward. Action Images -
Rodrigo Bentancur 8 – The Uruguayan’s passing was metronomic at times, as he dictated the tempo of the game early on. Wasn’t quite as influential in the final half-hour. AP -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7 – A solid display from the 26-year-old midfielder. He worked tirelessly for the cause and should have grabbed an assist after playing Harry Kane clean through on goal with the score at 2-1. Reuters -
Reguilon 7 – Played as the more advanced of Spurs’ two full-backs, to the point where Son drifted more and more central to accommodate the pair on the left side. The Spaniard offered a constant threat. AFP -
Dejan Kulusevski 7 – While he lacked end product, mainly due to his penchant for shooting from range, the forward’s link-up play with both Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane on the counter caused West Ham plenty of problems. AP -
Son Heung-Min 9 – Scorer of Spurs’ second and third, the South Korean was, by some distance, the most threatening player on the pitch, getting in behind the defence time and time again. AP -
Harry Kane 8 – No goals for the English marksman, but he did assist Son twice to emphasise just how deadly their partnership is. Missed a handful of clear cut opportunities that would have put the game to bed a lot earlier. AP -
SUBS: Emerson Royal N/A – Slotted into the Spurs back five for the final few minutes. Action Images -
Lucas Moura N/A - Little of note to report. Steven Bergwijn N/A – Replaced match-winner Son in injury time. Getty -
WEST HAM RATINGS: Lukasz Fabianski 5 – Arguably should have done better to prevent Son's first, although the shot was deflected. The Polish stopper’s wayward distribution did put his defence under more pressure than was necessary. EPA -
Ben Johnson 6 – Improved as the game wore on, tracking Son and Reguilon diligently in the second period. Could not question the right-back's work rate. Getty -
Craig Dawson 5 – Endured a wretched first 30 minutes, making an error for Spurs' second, before picking up a yellow card. He did somewhat atone for this, assisting Benrahma’s consolation goal. Action Images -
Kurt Zouma 4 – The former Chelsea man scored an own goal after just nine minutes, and his game didn’t exactly get better from there. Loose in possession, and far too mistake-prone - this was one to forget. Reuters -
Aaron Cresswell 5 – Unconvincing up against the illusive Kulusevski. His set-piece deliveries were uncharacteristically wayward. Getty -
Tomas Soucek 6 - A quiet game from the powerful midfielder. Won a handful of aerial battles, but the Czech international wasn’t able to get on the ball as much as he would have liked. Getty -
Declan Rice 6 – The Hammers captain was a calming influence in midfield after the side conceded two early goals. He lacked his usual incisive play in the second half, as Spurs re-established control. EPA -
Manuel Lanzini 6 – Much brighter in the second half from the tricky number 10. He always looked to make things happen in and around the Spurs box, even if his final ball often lacked conviction. AFP -
Said Benrahma 7 – Scorer of West Ham’s goal. With the Hammers struggling massively in the first half, his instinctive, improvised finish from a corner changed the complexion of the game for a while. AFP -
Arthur Masuaku 7 – A more than decent performance after being fielded in the unfamiliar position of left-wing in the first half. He offered solidity in defence and managed to whip in some dangerous crosses when venturing forward. PA -
Michail Antonio 5 – Far too wasteful in the final third. While the 31-year-old held the ball up very well, he scuffed a number of shots at goal. Getty -
SUBS: Andriy Yarmolenko 6 – A hero last Thursday against Sevilla, but the Ukrainian wasn’t able to bail West Ham out of trouble this time around. AFP -
Pablo Fornals 7 – Gave the Spurs defenders something to think about after being introduced early in the second half. AP -
Nikola Vlasic N/A – Replaced Lanzini for the final 10 minutes. The Croatian was sloppy in possession. PA
