Report: West Ham have no intention of including Rice in deal for Lingard
West Ham have no intention of including Declan Rice in a deal to secure the permanent signature of loan star Jesse Lingard, according to The Sun.
Rice, 22, has been an integral cog in the machine of this David Moyes’ side that have been transformed from relegation candidates last season to Champions League contenders.
The vice-captain is the glue in the West Ham midfield but Lingard has been the talk of the East End after his blistering start to life in the capital.
Since making the move from Manchester to London, Lingard has scored eight goals in nine Claret and Blue appearances and Moyes is surely desperate to make his loan deal from Manchester United a permanent one.
But West Ham will not be bullied into conceding their most prized asset in order to sign Lingard outright.
A report from The Sun claims they want to seal a straight deal for the 28-year-old who has revived his ailing career down south, and therefore they will tell Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to forget an £80million package for Rice that includes Lingard.
Stand firm
There’s absolutely no way we can countenance the thought of Rice being shipped out this summer and a firm stance is required from the club, so this report is sure to be welcomed by all Hammers.
What’s the point of losing Rice to gain Lingard? There’s a six-year age gap between the two and despite the latter’s scintillating start to life we still know who the most important player is in this team.
Rice is the midfield enforcer and his leadership skills will be even more vital when club captain Mark Noble departs in 2022.
He will surely be entrusted to take on the armband in a more official capacity and will be more important than ever if we do indeed make it into Europe.
Of course we want Lingard to convert his loan into a permanent deal but that cannot be at the expense of our talisman.
If we keep hold of Rice and bring Lingard in we might have something to finally thank GSB for.
In other West Ham news, our view on how Arthur Masuaku nearly cost the Irons v Leicester City.