Manchester United have been given fresh hope in their pursuit of West Ham star Declan Rice.
The Red Devils have long admired Rice and reportedly tried to pursue him last summer while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still at the club, only to be swiftly rebuffed by the Hammers.
The midfield has long been a headache at Old Trafford with Scott McTominay and Fred striking up an uneasy partnership in the absence of anything else. Fred especially has come under staunch criticism during most of his Premier League career, while Paul Pogba has been shifted out wide as a result of poor performances in the centre.
Rice, however, would solve a long-standing dilemma with ESPN claiming that United have him as a target and The Sun saying that he could have a £120million price tag slapped on his forehead by West Ham.
Paul Brown of Give Me Sport, meanwhile, says that the England international could well be looking for a new challenge.
“I don’t think he is someone who is going to force his way out with a formal transfer request or any particular demands, but they’re at a point where he probably isn’t going to sign a new contract because he wants to test the water,” he said.
Rice is valued at around £68m by Transfermarkt.
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