West Ham United manager David Moyes has insisted that Chelsea could not afford to sign Declan Rice with or without Frank Lampard at the helm.
The Hammers' midfield lynchpin was understood to be a long-term target for Lampard, who was sacked from his Stamford Bridge post on Monday morning after a run of mediocre results.
Moyes had previously claimed that Rice would not be allowed to leave unless his side received an extortionate amount of money, and the Hammers boss has now reaffirmed his side's stance on the matter now that Lampard has been relieved of his duties.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of West Ham's midweek game with Crystal Palace, Moyes said: "No matter who was the manager at Chelsea, or whoever came in, it would have been the same answer.
"I said it right at the start and I'm only repeating myself - Bank of England money would be required, and you might even need to add Bank of Scotland on to that as well because he has been so good."
Rice is yet to miss a single minute of Premier League football for West Ham this term, and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in the 22-year-old over the past month.
Ben Knapton
