West Ham are reportedly refusing to be bulled into a swap deal involving Declan Rice and Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard this summer.
According to the Sun, the Hammers have no intention of allowing Rice to leave despite talk that Man Utd could use on-loan attacking midfielder Lingard as bait in a deal.
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Lingard has been a revelation since joining West Ham on loan in January, and it could be smart business by United if they could use him as part of a deal for highly-rated young defensive midfielder Rice.
Still, it’s no surprise that West Ham are not at all keen on this, with Rice likely to be seen as a big part of their future.
David Moyes’ side have over-achieved this season, with Rice a key performer for them as they chase a place in the top four.
If they let MUFC or anyone else sign Rice now it would be a major blow to their hopes of continuing to develop and progress in the next few years.
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