After last summer's buying spree, United are facing a season in which all four are empty, and with Pogba's contract expiring and Van de Beek likely to be gone, United must strengthen in midfield. West Ham's 24-year-old England international midfielder Rice was their first signing target this summer, but it is not easy to get him as desired, it can even be said to be very difficult.
First of all, Rice not only has excellent personal ability, but also the 24-year-old is also in the ascending stage of his career, coupled with the advantage of the household register, such a player who is impeccable in all aspects must be worth a lot. The Hammers value him at more than £100 million, and Manchester United's desire for a strong back is well known, which will make them add additional costs in the process of buying Rice, according to the Manchester Evening News speculation, Manchester United this summer if they want to successfully sign Rice, it is estimated to pay a sky-high price of 120-150 million pounds, even if it is rich, Manchester United is estimated to be scared to retreat.
Taking a step back, United can accept this record-setting sky-high price, and they also have to face strong competition from two major opponents, Chelsea and Manchester City, and both have advantages that Manchester United do not have.
Before joining West Ham, Rice had played for chelsea junior team but was eventually abandoned, but there, Rice had a close friend, and now the Blues' attacking core Mount, the two knew each other at the age of 6, the two had a good relationship, and after Rice was sacked by Chelsea, Mount still cried for it. During the epidemic, Mount had played wild football for Rice in spite of the quarantine ban, and was punished by the club for two weeks of salary, and Rice's girlfriend also jokingly complained that the former loved Mount more than she loved her.
Such a relationship, if Chelsea sends out an invitation, Rice estimates that it is difficult to refuse the opportunity to fight with friends again. And more importantly, Chelsea and West Ham are in London, which means Rice can easily represent another club without moving. As for the unpleasantness of being swept out of the Blues as a teenager, it is estimated that it has long since dissipated over time. In a way, Rice even had to thank Chelsea for giving up that year, because it was precisely because it was in the middle of the Premier League like West Ham that he was so valued. If he had stayed at Chelsea, where the rich and star-studded Chelsea had, he would most likely have become part of the Blues' taxi army.
In addition to Chelsea, another blue team, Manchester City, should not be underestimated, they are not only rich, but also have an advantage that even Chelsea has to bow to, that is, the championship. Since Guardiola took charge of Manchester City in the summer of 2016, he has led the Premier League upstart to 10 trophies including 3 Premier League titles, 4 League Cups, 1 FA Cup and 2 Community Shield titles, and reached the champions league final last season. In the same period, Chelsea only had 1 Premier League title, 1 FA Cup, 1 Europa League, 1 Champions League and 1 European Super Cup.
Under the tutelage of Guardiola, Manchester City's squad is neat, the age structure of the players is reasonable, the tactical play is also very mature and stable, and they are transforming from a local giant in the Premier League to a real giant team. In such a team, Rice does not have to worry about not having a championship, and more importantly, he will also usher in a new peak of his career under Guardiola, just like sterling, Cancello, Foden and Rodri, which is even more important than the championship.
Compared to Chelsea and Manchester City, United have neither a player like Mount as a lobbyist, nor a title win as soft as next door. On the contrary, today's Manchester United locker room can be described as an undercurrent, after the Greenwood accident, several big guys are busy closing his account and disassociating with him, which is enough to show that there is no leader in this Manchester United squad who can lead the whole team like Keane in the past, only a bunch of players with different ideas. Their only advantage is that they can pay huge salaries. But would Rice want to play for a team with no future in sight?