Today brought another twist and turn in the summer transfer saga that is Declan Rice making his West Ham United exit. Arsenal have placed their bid, but it fell short.
While it once seemed imminent that the Hammers star man was moving across London, the door still remains ajar to someone else coming in and hijacking the Gunners deal.
???| BREAKING: #mufc are considering rivalling Arsenal’s move for Declan Rice by proposing a player-plus-cash deal that could involve Harry Maguire or Scott McTominay. [@JBurtTelegraph] pic.twitter.com/9tahqeq1oa
— centredevils. (@centredevils) June 21, 2023
That is according to a report in The Telegraph today.
Yes, Manchester United have been interested, for a long time (with Agent Shaw on the case), and their offer would be money plus either Harry Maguire or Scott McTominay.
Hmmm, I’m guessing McTominay would be the easy choice there, given
a.) he slots right in as a replacement at the position.
b.) Maguire’s form has been so dreadful, for so long that he’s just not in demand right now.
It’s very likely that West Ham reject this outright, especially that they know Arsenal will return with an improved bid before too long.
Additionally, Manchester City are supposedly interested now too.
Arsenal bid 90 million GBP (75 base, plus 15 in add-ons) for Rice, knowing full well that they need to hit the 100m mark in order to get this deal over the line.
It’s too bad for United that they haven’t made a single major purchase or sale this transfer window yet.
They’ve given us nothing to talk about so far this window, hence we have to focus on stuff like this instead.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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