Manchester United target Declan Rice has a gentleman’s agreement with West Ham Utd to stay for one more season
According to journalist Alex Crook of talkSPORT (h/t The Sun), Declan Rice, who is a target for Manchester United, has a gentleman’s agreement with West Ham Utd to stay for one more season. He is one of the most sought-after midfielders in the Premier League, but his immediate future could now be certain following this update.
Man United have expressed their interest in signing Rice, but West Ham have slapped a massive £150million asking price to fend off suitors. Chelsea, in particular, seem to be a stern challenger indeed as they are very keen on facilitating a move for the holding midfielder.
However, any move appears to be on the cards only after the upcoming season due to the agreement West Ham United have in place with the Englishman. That could prove to be beneficial for the Red Devils as they are focused on signing Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong this summer.
“I think Declan Rice will give West Ham one more year. I think there’s almost a gentleman’s agreement that he will do that… although we know they don’t mean much in football from the Harry Kane saga last summer.”
Man Utd to target Rice next summer?
We have seen examples where gentleman’s agreements have not held any value, like in the case of Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane last summer. That being said, things could be different with the Hammers as they look to be preparing for life after Rice right now.
David Moyes’ side has signed Flynn Downes from Swansea City and is also pursuing Lille ace Amadou Onana at this moment. That could potentially suggest that they may be willing to hold up the agreement, which would make Rice available after the next campaign.
We would get enough time to raise enough funds for Rice as we have other targets to pursue this summer. At the same time, one could say that Moyes’ team could reduce their price tag for the 23-year-old to something more reasonable, unlike their current valuation.
The Premier League superstar has also rejected renewal offers from his club, which gives us more reasons to think that he may be on the market in the future. If that is the case, then pairing Rice with de Jong is a great prospect to think about, although we have some ground to cover to make that happen.
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Things would not be easy for us, with Manchester City also plotting to sign Rice moving forward. The Citizens and the Blues are in a better situation than us right now, but this coming season could give enough time for Erik ten Hag to work his magic and make us a more attractive destination than at this moment.
