The future of West Ham captain Declan Rice is likely to come under increasing scrutiny in the coming months and the midfielder has already hinted at his openness to joining Manchester United.
The Red Devils have been long-term admirers of Rice while Chelsea, where the player spent seven years as an academy prospect, were credited with interest before Christmas. In January, Arsenal made it a three-way race for the signature of the 24-year-old.
The all-action central midfielder is out of contract at the Hammers in 2024 and the indications are that he has no intention of renewing at the East London club. That is likely to lead to a negotiation process this summer whereby West Ham, who are publicly denying the possibility of a sale, consider cashing-in on their star.
Speaking after his side’s 1-0 away defeat at Old Trafford in October earlier this season, Rice spoke of his admiration for the stadium and United – claiming that he felt ‘inspired’ by the environment in comments that fuelled speculation of his openness to a move to the club. His desire to join a club in the Champions League has been well-documented, with Erik ten Hag’s side currently in third.
"It's inspiring for sure - it's Old Trafford," Rice told Sky Sports, as he took a look around the famous ground. "You think of the heritage, the big games that have been here, the top players that have played here. You want to come here as a player and stamp your mark and stamp your authority - one to get a win, and two to play well yourself."
Rice succeeded the long-serving Mark Noble as the Hammers captain this summer and Noble hinted at the deep-lying midfielder being open to an exit from the London Stadium this year.
Have Your Say! Which club will Declan Rice be playing for next season? Tell us what you think here.
Noble told the Evening Standard : "We're West Ham and these players want to go out and play Champions League football - and do you blame them? Dec is no different. Dec will always be hailed at West Ham as a fantastic player and such a top, top person.
"But I don't think anyone begrudges him wanting to go and win things. We just hope he'll keep performing like he has been over the last month or so. Wherever Declan ends up, or however much someone pays for him, whether it's here or anywhere else, he's worth every penny.
"He's said openly he loves playing at West Ham, but he has got ambitions as a player to go and play in the Champions League and win trophies. I don't think any West Han fan can actually have an agenda over that. Do you blame him for having really big ambitions? Of course, you don't. If he didn't, he probably wouldn't be as good as he is."
Meanwhile, Rice’s England teammate Kieran Trippier even suggested that such was the quality of Rice – he was comparable to Casemiro and Thomas Partey, who play in similar roles at United and Arsenal respectively.
"Declan’s unbelievable," Rice told Rio Ferdinand's Vibe with FIVE podcast. "I don’t know if you watched the game the other day when we [ Newcastle ] played West Ham, just his intelligence, the way he breaks up play, how he travels with it, powerful, unbelievable. Probably one of the best in the world in what he does."
Trippier was then asked if he thinks Rice is better than Partey and Casemiro, to which he replied: "Yeah. As defenders you appreciate like me you appreciate the likes of Michael Carrick or Declan, it makes your job easier, they’re just mopping everything up.
"Don’t get me wrong, Casemiro, the trophies he’s won - the [five] Champions Leagues - of course he’s a world-class player, but if you’re talking right now, Dec is incredible, he’s got the age as well."
