Chelsea should target Declan Rice in the summer transfer window to help recover their faltering form, former star Joe Cole has claimed.
What's going on with Declan Rice and Chelsea?
The West Ham United captain looks set for a big move away this summer, and whilst Arsenal may be the front-runners for his signature, Chelsea have long been admirers of their former academy product.
Chelsea are in a disastrous run of form, which has seen them lose their last six games in a row, and given that they have spent heavily in the last two windows, it remains to be seen what kind of summer they can have given that they will not qualify for Europe.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Cole, who played for both Chelsea and West Ham, has claimed that he would like to see Rice follow his same path in moving from East to West London.
"I don't think you can bring in more than two players, because there's enough talent in the squad to work with to improve on the position, that's for sure," he stated.
"You have to remember that Nkunku's already coming in, Lukaku will probably come back, I would imagine. You can't miss, you need to go safe, need to go with players who have played in the Premier League. I would take Declan rice, there's one.
"I know people might say it's another midfielder, but it's a player that I've watched many, many times, and you can rely on him. So as a manager, you can put someone in that position, he's going to play every minute of every game, next to maybe Enzo."
Would Rice sign for Chelsea?
Given the heavy reported interest in Rice, it seems that he will have a wide range of clubs to choose from, and without European football, Chelsea may struggle to convince him to join.
Their struggles this season may be off-putting compared to the likes of Arsenal or even Liverpool, where he can join a more settled team with a manager whose job appears secure.
Rice previously spoke about his desire to play Champions League football, and this may put Arsenal in the driving seat ahead of their London rivals.
Although he could become a success at Chelsea alongside the likes of Enzo Fernandez in midfield, the current chaos at the club could mean he decides to move elsewhere.
