Report: Man United Planning Move for Declan Rice

According to reports, Man United is said to be keen on making a significant move for Declan Rice, the West Ham United standout.

It appears that the England national team player is getting closer to leaving the London Stadium this summer.

Journalist Jacob Steinberg recently shared on Twitter that there are updates regarding Declan Rice’s potential transfer to Man United.

According to him, the Red Devils are preparing to compete with Arsenal for the 24-year-old midfielder’s signature, stating, “Manchester United is planning a move for Declan Rice this summer.

Arsenal has done a lot of groundwork, but they will now face competition from United in signing the West Ham midfielder.”

The transfer insider, in his article for The Guardian, disclosed that although Manchester United’s priority seems to be signing a new striker this summer, their interest in Declan Rice is ‘growing.’

While it’s uncertain whether Erik ten Hag’s team will make an offer for the former Chelsea academy player, who could demand a price tag of roughly £100m, Rice seems to be on the radar of the Old Trafford club.

Additionally, with just one year remaining on his contract, the midfielder is a potential target for United as he could leave his current team.

How would Rice fit in at Man United?

It’s understandable why Ten Hag is monitoring the 6-foot-1 Declan Rice, considering Kooxdena’ previous report that the Dutchman wants to add a ‘young midfielder’ to the team for next season, following the signings of experienced players Casemiro and Christian Eriksen last summer.

If Rice were to join, it could potentially mean bad news for Eriksen, in particular, as Casemiro, who was a significant investment for the club at £70m in August, is likely to retain his spot in the starting lineup, having been praised by his manager as the team’s “cement.”

Christian Eriksen, who joined on a free transfer at the beginning of last summer, has had a remarkable impact at Old Trafford this season, contributing two goals and nine assists in all competitions.

However, at the age of 31, it’s uncertain if he can serve as a long-term solution in the midfield. Although Eriksen has demonstrated his creative abilities, being ranked in the top 1% among his peers in Europe for assists, he doesn’t appear to possess the ball-winning skills or mobility of Rice.

Declan Rice’s effectiveness in both intercepting and driving forward from deep is illustrated by West Ham’s top 3% ranking for interceptions and top 14% ranking for progressive carries.

On the other hand, Eriksen ranks in the bottom 10% and top 37% for those same metrics, respectively.

Moreover, Rice outperformed Eriksen in the recent meeting between the two sides, with pundit Danny Murphy hailing him as a “Rolls Royce”, and 90min’s Toby Cudworth describing him as “absolutely sensational”.

In contrast, Eriksen was reportedly “overwhelmed” in the second half of the match, according to GOAL’s Richard Martin.

Rice’s impressive performance in the game would have undoubtedly increased Ten Hag’s interest in him, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the £60k-per-week midfielder playing alongside Casemiro in a Manchester United shirt next season.