Chelsea and Tottenham Show Interest in West Ham Midfielder Following Contract Standoff

West Ham United's Declan Rice is reportedly attracting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur after failing to agree a contract extension with the Hammers.

Having made his debut at the backend of the 2016/17 season, the midfielder had his breakthrough season in the last campaign as he made 26 appearances in the Premier League. Rice has continued in the same vein this season and has made eight starts in West Ham's midfield thus far.

However, behind the scenes, the Hammers' youngster has been struggling to negotiate a contract extension with the club after he turned down their first offer of £15,000 a week, as reported by Talk Sport.

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Despite having allegedly received a second offer worth £21,000 a week in basic salary along with various bonus such as a £20,000 appearance fee in the Premier League as well as a £5,000 wage increase for every 15 league appearances, Rice's future is still up in the air. 

In light of this uncertainty, both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are waiting in the wings should Rice decided his future lies elsewhere, according to the Daily Mail.

Of these clubs, there seems a good chance that the West Ham midfielder would choose Chelsea as he already has a connection to the club having joined the Blues when he was just seven-years-old.

However, with the likes of Matteo Kovačić, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley currently battling for just one spot in Maurizio Sarri's midfield, Rice might find playing opportunities hard to come by at the west London club. 

Therefore, for the sake of his development as a player, he might consider himself better off staying at West Ham or joining Tottenham who, in Mauricio Pochettino, have a manager known for nurturing young talent. 

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With his contract running out at the end of next season, Rice still has a bit of time to make up his mind and West Ham will surely persist in their attempts to keep him at the club.

The Hammers next face bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield away from home in the Premier League. Having beaten Burnley in a 4-2 thriller, West Ham will be hoping to build a run of form to propel them up the league table.