The England international has been offered transfer advice amid talks he could depart the London Stadium before the start of2020-21.
Declan Rice would find it hard to fit in at Chelsea and he would be better off joining Manchester United instead, according to Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend.
Aston Villa have the license to comepete at a European stage in the coming season, having attained Europa League qualification by securing a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last term.
Despite their achievement, Rice, the club’s most valuable player, is reportedly still in seach of pastures new as he seeks to play Champions League football in 2021-22.
The 22-year-old has already turned down two contract extension offers, essentially making his boyhood club aware of his intentions.
Chelsea and Manchester United are both linked with the midfielder, who is understood to be valued at around £100 million by the Hammers.
“Chelsea’s different because I think at Chelsea they like their holding midfielders to be ball-playing,” Townsend told talkSPORT.
“I think Kante’s kind of broken into that team under [Thomas] Tuchel towards the end of the season, so it’s Kante and a ball-player in a [Mateo] Kovacic or a Jorginho.
“So I don’t see where, unless one of those players leaves, I don’t see where he’d fit in there.
“Manchester United’s a different kettle of fish. We go back to [Paul] Pogba, looking at Pogba in the Euros with [N’Golo] Kante doing his running for him and Pogba having the licence to get on the ball and spray passes left, right and centre.
“He would need another player like that next to him, so that’s a different kettle of fish altogether.”
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