West Ham United will not even consider a £100m bid for Declan Rice from Manchester United or Chelsea, according to reports - as they look to learn from Aston Villa's downturn since selling Jack Grealish.
Rice has become a key figure in the West Ham midfield, helping to propel the Irons into Europe and up the Premier League table. There are plenty of suitors who would love to sign him after 18 months of world-class performances, too.
Manchester United have a desperate need for a defensive midfielder and had earmarked the England star, while Chelsea have been open to signing Rice for a while. Solskjaer has referenced United's failure to land a midfielder of Rice's profile in the past, while Frank Lampard was reportedly keen on bringing Rice back to Stamford Bridge, after the Blues let him leave as a youngster.
But while there are those who would like to bid for the star, West Ham have decided he's categorically not for sale - having seen what selling a player can do.
Jack Grealish moved to Manchester City in the summer for £100m and since the sale, Aston Villa have missed his creativity and goals. The Villans sit in the bottom half of the table, have lost five matches on the trot and over the weekend sacked Dean Smith.
After bringing in a nine-figure sum for the England star, hope was high for Villa too, who reinvested the money across the team. Danny Ings, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia were all seen as fine replacements for the Midlands side to kick on and improve on last season's performances - but the opposite has in fact happened.
Now, West Ham are said to be learning from that example, as reports say that they would dismiss a bid out of hand.
The Hammers are keen to build their side around Rice and Soucek in midfield, with David Moyes wanting the England player to stay in his team. West Ham have been excellent in Europe this season and are building on their Premier League form with more consistency again this season.
With rumours of a takeover at the London Stadium - or at least external investment - West Ham might not even need the money, either.
