Fabrizio Romano: Manchester United transfer target Declan Rice will stay at West Ham
According to famed journalist Fabrizio Romano, writing exclusively in his Caught Offside column, Declan Rice, who is a transfer target for Manchester United, will stay at West Ham beyond this summer. That essentially ends all the talk surrounding his immediate future ahead of the next season.
Rice has two years left in his current contract at West Ham United, and it looks like he is set to remain with them for the upcoming campaign. They do not have any plans to sell their talisman in this transfer window and will not change that stance unless an outrageous offer arrives their way.
Man United are busy chasing after Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, and they are unlikely to meet the extreme demands of the Hammers when it comes to Rice. Chelsea have a long-standing interest in the West Ham superstar, but there is little chance for them to strike a deal for the midfielder.
Expected outcome
It is pretty clear at this point how the Red Devils are in a delicate situation, considering how their transfer budget amounts to just around £120million before sales. We are set to spend £56.14million and £12.9million for Frenkie de Jong and Tyrell Malacia, respectively, which could rise further with bonuses.
We have not facilitated any sales just yet, which means that those moves have dealt a considerable dent in our spending limits for the summer transfer window. Hence, Romano’s confirmation does make sense about how we are priced out of Rice at this moment.
Hence, it would be best if we put our pursuit on hold for the time being and target Rice next summer. The England international will be in line to enter the final year of his deal by then, which, in turn, would see David Moyes’ side lose their power over the holding midfielder’s future.
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That is further highlighted by the fact that the 23-year-old does not intend to renew his contract with Moyes’ team under the current circumstances. The prospect of potentially pairing de Jong and Rice is exciting to think about indeed, but it would be wise to reserve those thoughts for the future.
We have more pressing matters at hand with the defence and centre-forward positions needing immediate additions. Let’s address those problems first and discuss the subject with Erik ten Hag to ensure whether Rice would fall into his plans, as it would not make sense to target the midfielder if that is not the case.
