Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri admits he's a fan of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

Rice was released by Chelsea at the age of 14, but is now being linked with the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City because of his fine performances.

Ahead of tonight's clash with the Hammers, Sarri said: "I think that he's a very good player, very good in the defensive phase because he's really very able to recover the ball.

“He usually plays very close to the defensive line and, in the first match against West Ham (which finished 0-0), he was really a very big problem for us.

“I think he is improving in the offensive phase. He has improved during the season because I saw their last matches and I saw a very good midfielder."