The future of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is still uncertain, but following his recent comments while on international duty with England at the World Cup explaining how he wants to play Champions League football, it seems eminently possible that this could be his last season at the club.

With 18 months left on his current contract and a list of potential suitors including Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, David Moyes could receive a massive transfer fee for the 23-year-old.

With this in mind, it seems likely that the Irons boss will be on the lookout for a replacement for Rice, either in January or the summer; and with their interest in Juventus and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot increasing recently, the 59-year-old might just have the ideal heir for the Englishman.

Furthermore, journalist Dean Jones discussed West Ham’s interest in the midfielder while speaking to GIVEMESPORT, saying: “It has probably been ramped up by the fact that Rabiot’s open to coming to the Premier League.

“So, I’m not sure I can see him as a Rice replacement exactly, but what he does bring in that sense is a technical level that very few players in the game can offer.”

This is a big bonus for Moyes, knowing that a move to the Premier League is tempting for Rabiot; and despite Jones saying that he doesn’t see him as a Rice replacement, the French World Cup star possesses all the qualities to excel in the West Ham engine room.

Indeed, the £148k-per-week French dynamo has outperformed Rice during the tournament in Qatar. The 27-year-old has registered more goal contributions (two to zero), more key passes per match (0.6 to 0.2) and more tackles per match (2.0 to 1.2), proving that he can be more effective at both ends of the pitch than the West Ham midfielder and could be a more than capable replacement.

Journalist Samuel Luckhurst dubbed Rabiot a “cracking midfielder” following his performance against Australia in the holders’ first match of Qatar 2022, while Scott Saunders described him as “the world’s best midfielder” following that game.

Rabiot has just six months left on his current contract at Juventus and Moyes could secure the player for a bargain price in January or, better still, for nothing in the summer.

The Frenchman’s form at the World Cup is certain to have attracted plenty of interest, and if Moyes can lure him to London, it would be a big statement of intent by the east London club.