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London, July 15 (IANS): West Ham United on Saturday confirmed that they have reached an agreement for Declan Rice to leave the club.
The 24-year-old England midfielder leaves the Hammers having made a total of 245 senior appearances for the Club -- the last of which finished in glory last month as he lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy in Prague to end our 43-year wait for a major honour.
"West Ham United can confirm that agreement has been reached for Declan Rice to leave the Club for a British record transfer fee," the club said in a statement.
Having progressed from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath, where he began his Claret and Blue journey as a 14-year-old in 2013 before making his first-team debut against Burnley in May 2017, the Kingston-born midfielder has established himself as one of the greatest young talents in world football.
Winner of the Hammer of the Year award three times, in 2020, 2022 and 2023, and runner-up in 2018 and 2019, Declan made his full England debut in March 2019 and has since gone on to win 43 caps.
He was named West Ham United Club Captain in the summer of 2022 following the retirement of Mark Noble and enjoyed a triumphant final season as David Moyes’s team secured only the second major European trophy in the Club’s history.
Meanwhile, Joint Chair David Sullivan said that they didn't want to sell Rice
"I am sorry to see Declan leave us but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football," David Sullivan told the club's official website: "
"I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future."
"However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United," he added.
The England international made more than two hundred appearances for the club and manager David Moyes was understandably sad to see him leave.
"I'd like to personally thank Declan for everything he has done during his time at West Ham United. Obviously, it is sad when we say goodbye to someone who has been with us for so long but we must now look forward," said Moyes.
"As history shows, no player is ever bigger than the club. Our entire focus now is on building upon the success we enjoyed last season, adding to our talented Europa Conference League title-winning squad as we enter our third consecutive season in Europe, and continuing to develop the best young talent through our successful academy," he added.
