Manchester City are reportedly facing interest in Nathan Ake from West Ham, and they could use it to their advantage in the race to sign Declan Rice.

According to 90min, West Ham are keen to sign Ake from City on an initial loan for the second half of this season, with the view to a permanent transfer at the end of it.

Ake could be a useful signing to give the Hammers more depth at the back, and he’s not played a lot of football for City, so it’s easy to imagine he’d be tempted to leave and that this move could suit all involved.

The report notes that City might also be tempted to see if this can give them the chance to strike up a future deal to sign Rice from West Ham as the England international is one of their summer targets.

Pep Guardiola could probably do with Rice as an ideal long-term replacement for veteran defensive midfielder Fernandinho, but Manchester United won’t want to miss out.

Rice has been linked with Man Utd by the Independent, and there’s clearly the need for a player like him after this nightmare season at Old Trafford.

Fred has looked a particular weak link in United’s midfield and there’s surely no doubt that it would be worth a big investment in a player like Rice to come in as an upgrade.

Still, if City can move into a strong position here, it would surely be a no-brainer for Rice to move to the blue half of Manchester over the red half given the teams’ respective trajectories at the moment.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Thursday's NCAA men's tournament Sweet 16 takeaways: New faces going to the Elite Eight
Did breakup with J-Lo cost Alex Rodriguez the Timberwolves?
Draymond Green explains what happened with his latest ejection
Rob Manfred makes first public comments on MLB’s Shohei Ohtani investigation
Watch: Mike Trout hits first home run of 2024 MLB season off Corbin Burnes
Jets owner blasts report about alleged 'heated conversation' with HC Robert Saleh
Browns GM names player he wants to 'retain as long as possible'
UNC HC Mack Brown explains why ceiling for QB Drake Maye is 'so high'
Watch: Massive three-point swing helps No. 4 Alabama stun No. 1 North Carolina in Sweet 16
Watch: Diamondbacks set franchise record with 14-run inning
UConn continues historic run of dominance after rout of San Diego State
No. 2 Arizona beat themselves in Sweet 16 upset to No. 6 Clemson
Watch: Rangers' World Series banner unveiling leaves a lot to be desired
Watch: Kendall Diggs' three-run blast lifts Arkansas to victory over LSU
Watch: Juan Soto cuts down runner at plate to save game for Yankees
Royals' Cole Ragans sets franchise record in impressive Opening Day start
Guardians trade for two pitchers to round out Opening Day roster
Patrick Beverley's decision to play through his injury is a boost for Bucks
Corbin Burnes dominates in Orioles debut, significantly raises their ceiling
Watch: Base running error spoils Shohei Ohtani's first home Dodgers at-bat