Declan Rice is keen on a move to Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at Manchester United has been one on a steady path towards success. Year-in-year-out, the playing squad is being tweaked as the Red Devils look to compete at the highest level.
The Old Trafford club are still a few key pieces away from being major contenders, with a move for Declan Rice amongst the many transfers being talked up by the media.
Now, the Manchester Evening News have offered us a pretty big update in that brewing saga. They state that the 22-year-old star is ‘interested’ in a transfer to United.
The MEN back up their point by claiming that Rice has already held talks with United players about the club. It’s understood that the midfielder spoke with Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw about the Reds during the latest international break last month.
Solskjaer’s interest in Rice goes back at least a couple of years, with United having tracked the defensive-midfielder since 2019. At that time, the Englishman was used as a centre-back, with his versatility another big plus if the Old Trafford club were to make their move.
It goes without saying, Rice would be a direct upgrade on an ageing Nemanja Matic, though he wouldn’t come cheap. With a contract until 2024, the ball is firmly in West Ham’s court.
United could use Jesse Lingard in any makeweight for a deal, but we’d only be kidding ourselves if we were thinking Rice wouldn’t cost somewhere around the £100million mark when all is said and done. Say we value at Lingard around £20-25m, that’s still in excess of £70m in cash heading in West Ham’s direction.
Is that worth it? For the longevity you’d get out of Rice, probably. I guess a lot depends on whether West Ham qualify for next seasons’ Champions League. If they do, I don’t see Rice going anywhere for another twelve months at the very least.
Would a Man United move for Declan Rice make sense? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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