“West Ham demands £120 million for Declan Rice, one of the priciest midfielders in history”

West Ham United has reportedly set a £120 million price tag on Declan Rice, with several Premier League giants expected to engage in a summer transfer battle for the midfielder. While Arsenal is currently considered the front runner, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea have also expressed interest in Rice. However, some figures in the game, including Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, have cautioned against meeting West Ham’s valuation. As the Hammers demand an exorbitant figure to part ways with their star player, let’s take a look at some of the most significant transfers ever involving midfielders. The list includes Enzo Fernandez, who became the most expensive midfield signing of all time when he moved from Benfica to Chelsea for £107 million in January 2023. Paul Pogba’s £91 million deal with Manchester United in 2016 was the most expensive transfer in the history of the game at the time. Aurelien Tchouameni signed with Real Madrid for £85 million in June 2022 after beating off a whole host of Premier League interest. Zinedine Zidane moved to Real Madrid from Juventus for a then world-record fee of £69 million in 2001. Frenkie de Jong snubbed transfer interest from Manchester City and PSG to sign for Barcelona from Ajax in 2019 for £65 million.