Krishnan Sreekumar
Transfer News: Manchester City set to rival Manchester United in the race for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United are set to battle rivals Manchester City in the upcoming summer transfer window for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, as both Manchester clubs look to reinforce their midfield.
United’s midfield has been awful this season, with the current options in the middle of the park proving to be underwhelming. More often than not, they have neither been able to offer support to the attack nor able to shield the defence effectively in big games.
City are in the market for a midfielder as well at the end of the season, with the impending departure of club captain Fernandinho in the summer. The club hierarchy has made it clear that they can pursue the £100m-rated Rice in the transfer window to make up for the vacancy in midfield.
Between the two clubs, however, the Red Devils have more of a need for Rice than the defending champions of England. Despite being the skipper, City have not relied on Fernandinho all that much this term, banking instead on Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan.
Financial advantage for City
No matter which Manchester side the 23-year-old could end up moving to, West Ham have made it clear that they are not prepared to part with their star midfielder for anything less than £100m. In this regard, City look to have the financial advantage over their neighbours, given that their net spend in the last year has only been £37m.
This has been made possible by the sales of players like Ferran Torres, Jack Harrison, and Angelino, despite the Cityzens bringing in Jack Grealish as their record signing last summer. Pep Guardiola’s side seems to be serious about their intention to sign Rice as well, as it is said that they have asked to be kept informed of the Englishman’s plans for the future.
United have a new incoming manager in Erik ten Hag taking over the club in the summer, and the Dutchman is likely to have a say in the kind of players he wants to recruit and work with. That being said, it may be hard for him to overlook a player like Rice, who has excelled in the Premier League as well as on the international stage with England.
City have a wealth of talent in their squad, and the West Ham star’s addition would be the icing on top of the cake. He will have to battle stars like Rodri and Gundogan for a starting spot, and Guardiola is known for constantly rotating his players before a game.
The difference at United is that in all likelihood, they will want to build a new-look team around Rice as the base of their midfield. However, with the club sitting in sixth position in the league table, missing out on the Champions League next season could be a big blow for the club in terms of attracting the biggest names in football.
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That provides even more incentive for the Red Devils to push on and grab fourth spot for themselves by the end of the campaign, as it is obvious that with UCL qualification comes more income. With only four games left, it will prove to be a hard task, especially with rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal also in the mix for securing a top-four spot by the summer.
Paul Pogba is highly likely to leave this summer with his contract set to expire, and there is a void in our midfield that would then need to be filled. Sure, Donny van de Beek can be one of the players that can fill in there under his old manager in ten Hag, Nemanja Matic’s age then indicates how the club could use a solid defensive midfielder like Rice who can provide much-needed protection to our backline for years to come.
