Opportunity for Chelsea as Man United to look abroad for alternative to £80-90m transfer

Posted Sunday, September 26, 2021 by Caughtoffside.com

Manchester United may reportedly be set to look abroad for cheaper alternatives to West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.

The England international has shone for the Hammers and is sure to earn a big move in the near future, with football.london recently mentioning both Man Utd and Chelsea as potential suitors for him.

Still, it might now be advantage Chelsea in this particular transfer battle as ESPN suggest United view Rice as too expensive at around £80-90million.

We’re not sure Red Devils fans will be too pleased with this, as Rice looks an outstanding talent who would provide Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a major upgrade on players like Fred and Nemanja Matic.

It’s more positive news for Chelsea, however, as it might be easier for them to get a deal done for Rice if United aren’t also competing for his signature.

The west London giants might well feel that by next season they could do with someone like Rice coming in as a long-term successor to the likes of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, who aren’t getting any younger.

It will be interesting to see if United can find someone from overseas who represents better value for money, but there’s always the slight risk that they won’t settle in the Premier League, as has proven the case with Fred, who seems to have found it too much of a step up moving from Shakhtar Donetsk to Old Trafford.