Man Utd have been paired with an interest in West Ham United’s Declan Rice, and Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini may have alerted them with his latest comments.
As previously noted by the Independent, the Red Devils are said to be interested in the 20-year-old this summer as they look to bolster Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s midfield.
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It’s added in that report that West Ham could demand in excess of £50m for their prized asset, and so it certainly won’t be cheap for United to prise him away from London if they choose to pursue his signature this summer.
As noted in Pellegrini’s comments below though, if they are genuinely interested in the England international, then they could be given hope of securing a deal as the Chilean tactician has conceded that he doesn’t know if Rice will stay at West Ham beyond this summer or not.
“It’s impossible, I cannot know the future. He is, of course, a player who has had a brilliant season, who is 20 years old and an English player who has a lot of qualities,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.
“Maybe some of the big teams, or all of them, will want him. But that is one thing – the other is whether he will stay here or he goes, and I cannot say at this moment.”
Man Utd are specifically noted in that report as an interested party too, and so it remains to be seen if they identify Rice as a serious target this summer with the void left behind by Ander Herrera having to be filled after the Spaniard confirmed his exit at the weekend.
United have endured a miserable campaign this year, ending trophy-less and without Champions League qualification.
In turn, they can’t afford to get their recruitment wrong this summer, and so signing the top talents from their Premier League rivals could be a sensible strategy to add youth, hunger and commitment to the squad with Solskjaer seemingly planning an overhaul.
Rice ticks all those boxes, having enjoyed an impressive campaign as an almost ever-present in Pellegrini’s line-up.
