Rumour Has It: Manchester United will have no competition in pursuit of Declan Rice

Manchester United reportedly have a clear runway to sign West Ham midfielder and England international Declan Rice in the upcoming transfer window.

Rice, 23, has emerged as one of England’s brightest young talents after being released from Chelsea’s youth setup back in 2014.

He is expected to command a transfer fee in excess of the £100million Jack Grealish was signed for by Manchester City in a British record – but United may not be engaged in a bidding war.

TOP STORY – RED DEVILS LOOM AS RICE’S SOLE ENGLISH SUITOR

ESPN is reporting that United will not be facing competition from fellow Premier League clubs in the pursuit of Rice.

Sources have allegedly claimed the goal is to make Rice into a “modern day version of [Paul] Ince”, who helped ignite the rise of legendary boss Alex Ferguson with his arrival from West Ham in 1989.

City are said to be using their resources on Erling Haaland; Chelsea are hampered by their ownership situation and the need to replace Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Romelu Lukaku; and Liverpool would prefer to wait for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham at a cheaper price.

Despite a lack of bidders to drive up Rice’s price, West Ham are reportedly firm on their £100m-plus valuation.

ROUND-UP

– Everton would accept a £50m fee for Brazilian striker Richarlison, and are confident of getting such an offer, according to Football Insider.

– According to ESPN, Milan and Juventus are the leaders in the race to sign United’s Jesse Lingard.

– Sport is reporting Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves has chosen Barcelona over Premier League clubs United and Arsenal.

– Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is said to be for sale for a €80m price-tag, with Sky Sport claiming United and Paris Saint-Germain are the leading suitors.

– Arsenal have renewed their interest in Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, per The Times.