Chelsea set to offer Tammy Abraham as bait to seal their pursuit of Declan Rice

Chelsea are set to offer West Ham to the chance to sign Tammy Abraham as part of their pursuit of West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice.

Despite having spent just over £200 million on six major signings last summer, it would appear that the Blues are set to further invest in the upcoming transfer window, as they look to try and close the gap on newly crowned champions, Manchester City.

While the club have recovered from a difficult start to the season following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in January – putting themselves in contention for a top-four spot and with the chance to lift the Champions League – there are seemingly still improvements to be made to really challenge Pep Guardiola’s side for the title next term.

Recent reports have seen the club linked with a new striking addition, in the form of Harry Kane, yet central midfield also appears to be an area in need of bolstering, Declan Rice having been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.

The former Blues youth team player – who was released at the age of 14 – was previously a target under former boss Frank Lampard, yet that interest appears to have carried over to his successor, the Telegraph reporting that Chelsea could use Tammy Abraham as bait in order to sign the defensive midfielder.

As per the report, the Blues are set to revive their interest in the player having pulled out of a move last summer and will use Abraham as part of a player-plus-cash deal in order to tempt the Hammers into selling.

The 22-year-old – who is said to be valued at around £90m – has enjoyed a superb season as part of David Moyes’ highflying side, the club heading into the final day with the chance to secure Europa League football.

Should they do so, West Ham are hoping that could be enough to tempt the stand-in skipper to stay, while for the Blues, any deal may rest on whether or not they can secure Champions League qualification.

As for Abraham, Moyes is reportedly an admirer of the striker, although has previously claimed that the player’s reported £40m asking price would be unattainable, making an exchange deal potentially tempting for the Hammers.

The former Aston Villa loanee has barely featured since Tuchel’s appointment and was left out of the matchday squad for the recent FA Cup final defeat, yet remains the club’s joint-top scorer with 12 goals in all competitions.

The Hammers are currently in need of a striking addition after they allowed Sebastian Haller to join Ajax in January, leaving Michail Antonio as the clubs most natural forward.

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