West Ham United’s Declan Rice is interested in joining Manchester United, according to a report from the Manchester Evening News.
Rice has been the subject of much speculation in recent months, with suggestions he could leave West Ham in the upcoming transfer window.
The Englishman has impressed with his development since breaking into the first team in 2017, making 140 appearances since then.
Despite David Moyes potentially guiding West Ham to a Champions League spot, moves to Chelsea and Man United have been mooted.
It was recently suggested that Rice would cost any potential suitor around £100 million, a figure Moyes claimed was far too cheap.
The MEN now report that Rice is interested in moving to United and has been asking about the Red Devils on international duty.
It is claimed that Rice specifically spoke to both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw while with the England squad last month.
United have been tracking Rice for two years and are considered to be the front-runners for his signature, despite previous interest from Chelsea.
SL View – Could Jesse Lingard hold the key to a United move for Rice?
It goes without saying that Rice will not be a cheap option for United this summer.
With reports and Moyes talking up a potential £100m fee, you would consider it unlikely that a deal will get done.
However, with some negotiation and the use of Jesse Lingard in negotiations, that fee could shrink.
Lingard has impressed at the Hammers this season, having joined on loan in the January transfer window.
Scoring eight goals and assisting four in just nine games, there is no doubt that West Ham will look to sign the 28-year-old permanently in the summer.
Should Manchester United be able to get in the region of £25-30m for Lingard, that would reduce Declan Rice’s price by a pretty considerable amount.
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