Man City are not likely to make a move for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice during the ongoing transfer window, as per Claret & Hugh.
With Fernandinho ageing, Manchester City have slowly ramped up their interest in the Hammers midfielder and as per the same source, Pep Guardiola has also likened Rice to Sergio Busquets.
A City insider told Claret & Hugh: “Rice really impressed Pep and his staff when West Ham played at the Etihad in late February.
“A few remarked how he reminded them in some of ways of Sergio Busquets – just how he read the game and could break between the lines.
“Guardiola and his technical director Txiki Begiristain are convinced the talent coming through in England right now means players like Rice cannot be ignored.”
This praise might be good to hear but at the same time, the West Ham fans will automatically be worried that the Premier League champions will be coming for Declan Rice.
That though is not likely to be since Manchester City are going to offer Fernandinho a new contract which is why they intend to stay out of the Declan Rice transfer right now.
They claim: “Pep Guardiola is confident of agreeing a new deal with Fernandino which will almost certainly see him save a bid for Declan Rice into a future transfer window.
“Declan is seen as the long-term successor to the 36-year-old Brazilian midfielder, who is out of contract at the Etihad later this month.
“But skipper Fernandinho, remains an invaluable player for City boss Pep Guardiola, both an and off the pitch, and has now opened talks about prolonging his eight-year term in Manchester by another 12 months.
View this post on Instagram
“Despite City’s huge spending power, our sources up in Manchester state Guardiola’s determination to retain Fernandinho for another year suggests they can’t also make room for Declan.”
If these rumours are true then West Ham United can breathe a big sigh of relief since Manchester City are one of the powerhouses in world football right now and if they are not interested then Moyes has one less thing to worry about.
But having said that, City aren’t the only club being linked with the 22-year-old since Chelsea and Man United are also interested in him. In fact, the interest from these two sides are much stronger than Man City’s.
Both Chelsea and United are looking to bring in midfield reinforcements and their respective manager will have the finances to make big transfers this summer. So, despite Man City backing out, we doubt if David Moyes will be able to hold onto Declan Rice for one more season.
