Man United have reportedly made an opening offer of €40m to West Ham United for Declan Rice, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira.
The 20-year-old has continued to impress this season, establishing himself as a key figure for the Hammers while earning his first two caps for England during the international break.
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It would appear as though Rice has a bright future ahead of him for club and country, but Man United seemingly wish to prise him away from his current club and have stepped up their pursuit.
As noted in Schira’s tweet below, it’s suggested that the Red Devils have launched a first bid of €40m for the talented youngster, with talks said to be continuing between the two parties.
Whether or not that’s enough to convince West Ham to sell remains to be seen, with Manuel Pellegrini hinting on Friday that it would take a significant bid to prise Rice away, as noted by The Guardian, with that report also specifically mentioning United as an interested party.
Nevertheless, the tone of his comments suggested that the door was open for Rice to move on and fulfil his potential, but ultimately West Ham will demand a price that they consider fair.
Man United could certainly do with reinforcements in midfield arriving this summer though, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is limited in that department with Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera and Fred his only senior options.
With question marks over Herrera’s future at Old Trafford given his current contract expires this summer, his possible exit would only amplify the need for a signing like Rice to strengthen in that area.
With that in mind, it remains to be seen if Utd have in fact placed an early offer in for Rice, and whether or not discussions with West Ham prove fruitful in getting a deal done for the summer.
#ManchesterUnited are really interested in signing Declan #Rice from #WesHam for the next season. First contacts ongoing between #RedDevils and Hammers. #ManUtd's first bid is €40M. #transfers #MUFC #mutd
— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) March 29, 2019
