Manchester United are ready to battle Premier League rivals Arsenal for Declan Rice by potentially offering Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire to West Ham in exchange.
The bad news is that Declan Rice – London born and bred – is still viewed as most likely to end up at Arsenal rather than Old Trafford. What’s more, Manchester United’s relatively limited budget – Erik ten Hag’s spending power further complicated by that ongoing takeover saga – means the Red Devils are not going to meet West Ham’s £100 million asking price any time soon.
But it’s not all negative. The good news is that United may have an ace up their sleeve.
David Moyes, West Ham’s former Old Trafford boss, is a big fan of both Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire.
Both players could now be offered to the Conference League champions as part of a deal that would see Rice move in the other direction, though The Telegraph do not specify exactly how much Man United would be willing to stump up for the Hammers skipper.
Manchester United rival Arsenal for West Ham’s Declan Rice
Arsenal saw an initial £75 million bid rejected ‘immediately’ this week.
Assuming that Maguire and McTominay are valued in the region of a combined £60 million, United may be hoping that they could get their mitts on Rice for around £40 million, while also removing two fringe players from a bloated wage bill.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Moyes has spoken openly about his admiration for Maguire in the past. The Scot scouted the former Leicester City defender during his short-lived spell in the Red Devils hotseat a decade ago. Maguire was plying his trade for Sheffield United at the time.
McTominay, meanwhile, could be a readymade replacement for Rice in the heart of Moyes’ midfield. He is not quite as technically gifted as the West Ham academy graduate. But McTominay possesses similar energy, running power and ball-carrying ability.
‘The biggest club in the world’
Rice was typically outstanding as West Ham defeated Man United at the London Stadium six weeks ago.
“When you play against Manchester United you really want to play well. They’re the biggest club in the world,” Rice told talkSPORT at full-time.
“Everyone watches Man United and you want to stand out. That’s what I try to do every game. But, when you play against the big teams, you’ve got that extra fire in your belly to perform.”
United have been crying out for a genuine ball-carrying midfielder capable of providing a link between defence and attack. Rice, with his driving runs from the number eight role, could potentially be to United what Frenkie de Jong could have been had he arrived from Barcelona a year ago.
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