Man Utd told to 'break the bank' to sign Rice from West Ham
Martin Macdonald
- 4 Feb 2022 13:15 GMT
- 5 min read
Manchester United have been told to "break the bank" to sign Declan Rice from West Ham this summer by former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson.
Over the past couple of seasons, Rice has improved significantly to the point where he is now considered one of the best central midfielders in the Premier League.
His performances have naturally catalysed transfer speculation, with both Man Utd and Chelsea linked with a potential swoop for the England midfielder.
Rice was previously in the Chelsea youth system before being released as a 14-year-old.
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Merson believes that Man Utd need to go all out to sign Rice in the summer as he represents a major upgrade on the midfielders currently at Old Trafford.
"I think Declan Rice will be gone this summer," Merson told Sky Sports.
"I think it will be Man Utd, if you're Man Utd you've got to break the bank.
"If you look at their midfield it is not strong enough, they don't dominate football matches and for me, they have to go and get him.
"I think he is the best in the business, he has improved immensely, he has taken his game up not one or two, I think he has taken it up ten-fold.
"From a holding midfield player, he is bombing forward, scoring goals, getting chances, and making goals. I can't talk highly enough of the lad, I think he's been absolutely phenomenal.
"Chelsea could go and get him but they could do without him. They've still got Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante - three unbelievable midfield players and they dominate football matches.
"But you look at Man Utd and the midfield isn't strong enough to win anything really."
What would Rice cost in the summer?
West Ham would be more willing to do business in the summer.
According to Manchester Evening News, the London side will demand a fee of £100m from any suitors for the club's star midfielder.
What is Rice's FootballTransfers' value?
FootballTransfers' transfer valuations are calculated in collaboration with SciSports, a world-leading football analytics agency that assesses the relative transfer valuations of over 60,000 professional footballers worldwide.
SciSports use multiple data points including current and potential ability, contract length, form, age, and other crucial factors.
We value Rice at €49m.
