Tuchel has Chelsea reviving plans to bring back  Rice

Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, is keen to make a move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

According to The Telegraph, any move for Rice may rest on the Blues securing Champions League qualification.

read also:EPL: Top-four spot will ease pressure before UCL final – Tuchel

Former head coach Frank Lampard made Rice one of his top targets last summer, but Chelsea would not meet West Ham’s asking price of around £70 million, which is likely to have now risen to at least £90m.

Lampard’s departure was initially considered the end of Chelsea’s pursuit of Rice, who graduated through the club’s academy before being released at the age of 14.

But Tuchel has become a fan of Rice himself and will include the 22 year-old in the players he recommends to director Marina Granovskaia.

Should Rice once again be deemed too expensive, then Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni and Julian Weigl, who Tuchel worked with at Borussia Dortmund and who now plays for Benfica, could be cheaper alternatives for Chelsea.