Manchester United and Chelsea will need to fork out a king’s ransom of £100 million for West Ham United star Declan Rice.
According to Football.london, Manchester United and Chelsea will need to fork out £100 million to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice.
The Hammers ace is already one of the Premier League’s best players and starred for England at this summer’s Euros. There is only so much Rice can achieve at West Ham, and at 22 is primed to take the next step in his career.
The midfielder, however, has three years left on his current deal handing West ham the advantage when it comes to negotiations. They are in no mood to sell their prized target on the cheap and will accept nothing short of a king’s ransom to part wats with him. As per the report, the Hammers have, in fact, not received any offers for the player. Rice is also happy at the London Stadium.
Manchester City are also interested in the player and could spark a bidding war next summer. Pep Guardiola’s side splashed out £100 million for Jack Grealish this summer and are not averse to throwing money at a problem.
Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho has been a key cog on Guardiola’s success at the Etihad. At 37, he is not getting any younger and will need replacing soon. In Rice, City will receive a long term option who also happens to be a homegrown talent. He could mark the perfect addition to a side that will look to dominate the 2020s.
However, the Sky Blues will have to go up against local foes United who remain confident of signing Rice. Both Fred and Scott McTominay are industrious but lack imagination. Bringing in Rice would add dynamism to the Red Devils midfield.
Chelsea meanwhile, is intimately familiar with the player, having seen him come through their youth ranks. He was, however, released by the Blues. Rice has come a long way since and would today be welcomed with open arms at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are also put off by West Ham’s asking price, a major reason they are yet to make a bid.
The Blues are stacked in midfield and have Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Saul Niguez and Mateo Kovacic in their ranks. Niguez, for his part, is on loan, and it remains to be seen if he will recover from a nightmare debut and pass his audition for a permanent deal. It will be curious to see if Chelsea’s interest in Rice ties in with Niguez’s fate.
The 22-year-old is also close friends with Mason Mount. Teammates for England, it remains to be seen if the pair will reunite at the club level. A versatile player capable of also playing in defence, Rice is a massive talent who could be a star in the years to come. There is every reason to believe that he will be well worth the price. Who eventually will fork out the required amount remains to be seen.
