Chelsea’s standing in the race to sign West Ham star Declan Rice is diminishing in the eyes of “multiple sources”, reports reliable journalist Ben Jacobs.

Who are Chelsea signing this summer?

The Blues will no doubt be busy in the now open summer transfer window, with Mauricio Pochettino sure to want to put a stamp on a squad that is seen by many to be oversized.

It means we will likely see plenty of ‘deadwood’ cleared out, with the likes of Kalidou Kouliably, Romelu Lukaku, Trevoh Chalobah and Mateo Kovacic all linked with exits, while one would expect a new goalkeeper to replace one or both of Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga too.

In terms of incomings, Todd Boehly and Pochettino are seemingly dead set on brining Brighton star Moises Caicedo to the club, with reports on Friday suggesting they are winning the race for the Ecuador international.

They have also been linked with a move for Rice, seemingly ready to do battle with London rivals Arsenal for the Hammers icon’s signature, with reports revealing the Blues have jumped into the race after seeing the Gunners rejected with their opening bid.

However, according to Jacobs, Boehly and Pochettino may have to focus all their efforts on Caicedo, with word coming through the grapevine on Rice.

“Chelsea's chances of landing Rice are being downplayed by multiple sources,” the CBS journalist said. “CFC do have a long-standing interest in him, but the club are working on other priorities as it stands.”

Is Rice better than Caicedo?

It’s pretty difficult to separate the two players looking at the numbers, so it may come down to personal preferences – or club allegiances – when deciding who the better signing will be.

Rice, labelled “world class” by Danny Cowley, sits in the 56th percentile of midfielders in the big five leagues for tackles per 90, while his interceptions puts him right up in the 95th. Caicedo meanwhile, dubbed “magnificent” by Jamie Redknapp, is 87th percentile for tackling and 89th for interceptions.

They both read the game excellently then, and there’s not much to split their abilities on the ball either, with Rice leading the way when it comes to ball-carrying and Caicedo the better passer, ranking higher for total passes and pass completion.

If the Brighton star lands at Chelsea and his West Ham counterpart finds himself in north London, there will be quite the battle for supremacy when the two come head to head next season.