According to ESPN, United will have no competitors if they want to bring in West Ham's Declan Rice this summer. But the Red Devils' enemy is their own, and the owner of the Glazer family must be willing to pay a sky-high price of more than 100 million pounds and persuade the Hammers to release them. Not only that, but also to make Rice believe that Manchester United, which misses the Champions League next season, has a bright future.
West Ham have a better chance of playing in next season's Champions League than Manchester United, and if they can win the Europa League, they will receive a ticket to the Champions League. Rice has played well on the team this season, finishing 3rd in the English Football Journalists Association's Player of the Season awards.
The 23-year-old England international has been rumored to be with many teams, but West Ham's sky-high price tag leaves him with only the only potential buyer in the summer transfer window – Manchester United. ESPN said no club other than Manchester United would spend more than £100 million to bring in Rice because they had other priority positions.
Chelsea, who fired Rice at the age of 14, are keen to re-sign the youth midfielder, but the Blues face the problem of club transfers. Even if the acquisition is completed, Tuchel may have to prioritize bringing in a new defender and striker.
While City need to reinforce their backs, Guardiola is more eager to buy a centre-forward, with the first priority being to sign Norwegian striker Errin Haalander from Borussia Dortmund; Liverpool are interested in strengthening the midfield, Klopp is looking at Dort's England midfielder Jude Bellingham, while Arsenal and Tottenham can't afford Rice.
Only United are most eager to sign Rice, hoping he will become the "Paul Ince of the 21st century", who joined the Red Devils from West Ham in 1989. United have come to trust in the team to add resilience, determination and leadership. But after a disappointing season, United need to find evidence to convince Rice to join this summer instead of waiting for a better chance to emerge.
Rice currently earns £62,000 a week at West Ham and has more than two years left on a contract, with the club giving priority to a one-year extension. In an interview with United star Gary Neville, Rice expressed his ambition to win the title: "The main point for me is that I don't want to get nothing in my career. I watch all these top players win trophies like you've won countless Premier League and Champions Leagues. As a fan and as a player, I want to win the best accolades. I want to win the Premier League, I want to lift the trophy, I want to win the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and win the championship in England, and that's all my goal."
But does Rice believe United can win the title? This is a huge doubt. Meanwhile, Ruddy Lazio's 27-year-old midfielder Sergei Milinkovic Savage has denied his intention to join United.
Rumors this week suggested that Mirin's agent, Kegerman, announced that he was in talks with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. According to foot01, Kegermann said: "There is no shortage of offers in the Sergey (Millin) summer window and at the moment, we are trading with Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. He's focused on finishing the season for Lazio, but Sergey wants to go to Manchester United."
According to rumors, Lazio was willing to sell Millin, who was once nicknamed "White Pogba", for 59 million pounds. But Mr. Kehman made it clear that it was a fabrication: "Fake news, I haven't been interviewed recently, and some journalists can really make up stories." I was very angry, it was disrespectful to me and disrespectful to Sergey and Lazio."