West Ham United are confident that they will extract their asking price for Declan Rice because they expect Manchester United to hijack Arsenal’s move for the England midfielder.
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The Hammers captain is expected to leave the club at the end of the season, with Rice keen to play Champions League football.
But West Ham are in a strong position given Rice has two years left on his deal at the London Stadium and they are said to value the midfielder at more than £100m.
Arsenal are reportedly preparing a club record bid for Rice, that could be worth up to £92m with add-ons.
But West Ham want a more straightforward fee for Rice and the Daily Mail say they are confident of getting it.
That’s because the Hammers expect Manchester United to enter the running and they feel Erik ten Hag’s side will offer more for Rice than Arsenal can afford.
Ten Hag’s priority is to sign a top class centre forward, with Harry Kane the Dutchman’s preferred choice.
In order to sign Rice alongside a striker of Kane’s calibre, United would likely have to raise a significant amount from player sales.
Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Harry Maguire, Alex Telles and Anthony Elanga could all be sold.
Meanwhile, Granit Xhaka is expected to join Bayer Leverkusen, which will leave a gap in Arsenal’s midfield.
The Gunners will explore alternative targets to Rice, given the Englishman’s price tag.
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