Declan Rice ‘could be tempted’ to join Man United after update – expert
Kevin Phillips has claimed the “lure of Man United” could tempt Declan Rice to join Erik ten Hag’s rebuild this summer.
The former Sunderland striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, conceded the potential lack of Champions League football could be a sticking point for the 23-year-old.
According to The Guardian (22 April), Rice has rejected West Ham’s latest contract offer – which would have seen him receive a wage of around £200,000-a-week.
The report claims Man United are interested in the England star – who is valued by the Irons at around £150million.
Phillips suggested the prospect of joining “one of the biggest clubs in the world” could prove too hard to turn down for Rice.
“There are two ways of looking at it,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“At the end of the day, it’s Man United. How many opportunities do you get to play for one of the biggest and most famous clubs in the world?
“You’d like to think with Ten Hag coming in, they’ll start to move forward – and Rice could be tempted to be a part of that.
“But on the other hand, they’ve got no Champions League football. A player of Declan Rice’s quality deserves to be playing at the highest level.
“However, the lure of Man United could outweigh everything for him.”
Rice, who has often captained West Ham this term, is out of contract in 2024 – with the club holding the option of an extra year.
The former Chelsea youngster has started all but two Premier League games this term.
In other news, pundit tells West Ham to sign “perfect” Lukas Fabianski ally after £12m news.