Declan Rice admission offers Chelsea hope he ready for transfer return (Mirror)

If Chelsea are serious about poaching Declan Rice from West Ham, then the England midfielder may well have given them their way in.

Rice was on the books at Stamford Bridge as a schoolboy, joining at the age of seven.

However, he was released in 2014 at the age of 14, scuppering his hopes of breaking through in west London alongside his best pal, Mason Mount.

“Mason and Declan are best friends, revealed Mount's father, Tony, last August. "They always have been and still are now. They talk to each other all the time.

“When Declan got released at 14, we were all devastated. Debbie was in tears and Mason was gobsmacked."

Fast forward six years and they remain best friends; when Mount left his Chelsea-ordered isolation last month amid the coronavirus pandemic - much to the Blues' fury - it was no surprise Rice was with him (West Ham were not in lockdown).

And Rice, now 21, is back on the Blues' radar.

Having grown and matured at West Ham - whom he joined after his Chelsea exit - Rice is now a mainstay in the side.

Given his head by Slaven Bilic, he has since shone for both Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes, making a position at the base of midfield his own.

Last season, he was named the club's Players’ Player of the Year and won the award for Individual Performance of the Season - for his display against Arsenal at the London Stadium.

He was also named the Young Hammer of the Year for the third consecutive season.

Seven England caps have come his way, and Rice was a certainty for a spot at Euro 2020 this summer; he remains the most likely alternative to Jordan Henderson for that role in the rearranged tournament next summer.

Now, Chelsea are circling for the one that got away, eyeing a potential £50million transfer

Previous interest has come from Manchester United, but was met with little reaction from Rice, who has a contract until 2024, signed in December 2018.

A return to the King's Road and a reunion with Mount however, is another story.

"Yeah I’d love to, I’d love to play with him at club level again," Rice admitted in an interview with Copa 90 this week.

"One thing we’ve always said as kids we’d love to play with each other at club and international level but obviously you never know because of different paths and things like that."

Chelsea, with Jorginho's long-term future in continued question - speculation over a return to Italy with Maurizio Sarri at Juventus refuses to go away - sees Rice as a likely replacement. Boss Frank Lampard is understood to be a fan.

West Ham's financial situation too offers a way in when the transfer window eventually reopens.

The Hammers made a pre-tax loss of £28.2m in their most recent finances, a figure set to grow in their next set, following big spending last summer on the likes of Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals.

That's before you tack on the effects of coronavirus, with the club standing to lose around £38million in terms of income if they can't finish the season in front of their supporters.

Chelsea too will be hit, of course, but Champions League money and last summer's pivot to youth will help see them through

Rice is West Ham's most saleable asset, who is keen to test himself in the Champions League.

His friendship with Mount certainly helps the Blues' cause in bringing him back. His readiness to admit a desire to reunite with his close pal, suggests he's keen also.