Henry Winter moots Jesse Lingard ‘sweetener’ in Man United move for West Ham’s Declan Rice
Erik ten Hag has to “recruit hungrier players” like West Ham star Declan Rice and must offer Jesse Lingard as a “sweetener” in the deal says Henry Winter.
The incoming Manchester United boss is reportedly set to receive a £120million transfer budget to revive a flagging squad, unless he raise funds through sales (Times).
The Old Trafford club have long been known to want the Hammers midfielder, but with David Moyes setting the 23-year-old’s price at £150million, they look to be some way short.
Times chief football writer Winter says: “Ten Hag has to recruit hungrier players, the likes of Declan Rice if the dynamic young leader and box-to-box force can be prised from West Ham United at a time when they are on the up.
“He has to offer Lingard to West Ham, perhaps as a sweetener in any Rice deal.”
Lingard enjoyed a highly successful six-month loan at the London Stadium in the second half of last season, but attempts to bring him back before this campaign ended in frustration.
And the rest
For all that the ex-Iron loanee offers undoubted quality, he doesn’t make up a massive amount of the shortfall.
And with his contract set to expire in the summer he could easily end up playing alongside his international colleague in east London anyway.
Moyes clearly doesn’t want to see Rice go, so it is going to take a mammoth haul to convince the club to change their minds.
Despite the whole reason that the current Ajax manager has been sent for in Manchester, only months after Ralf Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there seems to be an assumption that Rice should move to be part of ten Hag’s revival.
But that is a similar tune to that one that has been played with the arrival of every manager since Sir Alex Ferguson.
There is no guarantee that the Three Lions star wouldn’t be better off staying with the Hammers, who are currently chasing a European trophy.
Moyes knows plenty about struggling at Old Trafford, so would probably be wise to remind Rice of that if any massive bids do come in.
In other West Ham news, the manager doesn’t want a £50million striker the club were reportedly after, and has other targets.
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