Manchester City receive major transfer boost in their pursuit of €100M rated midfielder

Manchester City have received a major transfer boost in pursuit of West Ham United skipper Declan Rice with former England winger Joe Cole advising the Englishman against a move to Old Trafford and encouraging him to join the defending champions instead of the opportunity arises, The Mirror understands.

Rice, 23 has been a revelation for the hammers this season scoring three goals and assisted four in 26 appearances across all competitions. The elegant midfielder has played a crucial role in West Ham’s stunning rise this season with the Hammers a solitary point from Champions League spot.

Rice has been linked with a big-money move away from the hammers lately, as he has developed into one of the best midfielders in the Premier League. United and Chelsea have been pushing hard towards signing the 23-year-old, but Cole thinks City would be the ideal landing spot for the Englishman, the source adds.

In a recent interview regarding Rice’s future endorsements, Joe Cole stated

"“I wouldn’t go to United if I was Declan Rice, no. I think you run the risk of going there and still not winning trophies.”“I think if Manchester City were on the table, you’d go there because in recent years it guarantees you trophies and I think Declan would want that.”“But for me, there’s no reason for him to not stay at West Ham if the progress is still going in that [upward] pattern, but that’s for him and the owners. He needs better players around him at West Ham to go to that next level.”"

Source: The Mirror.

Manchester United would be itching to get their hands on Rice this summer especially with several players on the verge of an Old Trafford exit including the likes of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Donny Van De Beek, and Juan Mata. With Ralf Rangnick set to be limited to a handful of options in the midfield Rice would be a long-standing solution to the Red devils’ problem of lacking a proper holding midfielder in their ranks.

Manchester City have been in the market multiple times lately for reinforcing their midfield with Fernandinho’s unavailability for the future and the Star duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan becoming injury-prone off late. Guardiola would be keen on the addition of Declan Rice who could even play as a double pivot, should the need arise.

In my opinion, Declan Rice would be willing to move to the Etihad at such a young age and could unleash his true potential under the vision of Pep Guardiola. The 23-year-old’s stay at the Londons Stadium is tipped to be concluded by the end of this season, with the Hammers keen on cashing in on a substantial amount for their skipper who is quoted well above the €100M mark currently.

Will Declan Rice don the Manchester blues?

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