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Manchester United are still interested in signing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The 23-year-old is still heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but Jones insists that the Red Devils are still in the running for his signature.
Declan Rice joins Manchester United as a free agent.
Rice is a priority target for Chelsea, according to journalist Simon Phillips. The Blues, on the other hand, are unlikely to get a free shot at him.
According to The Telegraph, both the Hammers captain and his England teammate Jude Bellingham are expected to be at the center of bidding wars involving clubs such as Manchester United and Chelsea.
In terms of the amount of money that could be thrown around in this bidding war for Rice, The Guardian claims that West Ham will demand at least £100 million.
United have already spent heavily to improve their midfield, signing Casemiro from Real Madrid for £70 million in August, according to BBC Sport.
What did Dean Jones have to say about Declan Rice and Manchester United?
Jones believes United are still interested in signing Rice and that things could heat up if Chelsea sign another midfielder like Enzo Fernandez."I would say that United still remain in the picture for Declan Rice, which does make it slightly more interesting if Chelsea go ahead and try to sign Enzo Fernandez," the journalist told GMS.
"However, I don't see why Chelsea couldn't envision having both of those players in their midfield in the future."
Who requires Declan Rice more, Manchester United or Chelsea?
It's easy to see why Manchester United and Chelsea want Rice. The England international is an excellent midfielder."I think he's magnificent," former Tottenham defender Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports before the season began.
However, between United and Chelsea, it is likely that the latter requires him the most. Erik ten Hag currently has Casemiro, a superb defensive midfielder.
The Brazilian demonstrated this in his team's first Premier League game following the World Cup. According to WhoScored, he made five tackles in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, the most in the game. Casemiro also had three interceptions, the most on the field. Chelsea simply do not have that anymore, with N'Golo Kante struggling to stay fit, making their need for a new holding midfielder like Rice more pressing than United's.
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Real Madrid star expected to leave next summer despite recent rumours
When it comes to transfers, Real Madrid has been phenomenal in recent years. Los Blancos have not spent a lot of money on new signings; in fact, over the last decade or so, some midtable Premier League clubs have outspent them. However, the majority of their additions have been fantastic, complementing the core of players they signed over a decade ago, a number of whom have gone on to become club legends.
Of course, not all signings have been successful, and Real Madrid's decision to break their transfer record in order to sign Eden Hazard from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 was a major blunder.During his seven years at Stamford Bridge, Hazard established himself as a Chelsea icon and Premier League legend, but his time at the Santiago Bernabeu has been nothing short of a nightmare.
He has struggled to establish himself in the starting XI over the last three and a half seasons, owing to a string of injuries. And he now appears to be a shell of the player he was in his prime.
Despite recent rumors, Real Madrid's star is expected to leave next summer.Following his return from the World Cup, Hazard is said to have impressed Carlo Ancelotti and the coaches. Of course, this has raised hopes that he will play a larger role in Real Madrid's future plans.
However, according to Relevo, unless a miracle occurs, the Belgian will leave Real Madrid next summer.
According to Transfermarkt statistics, he has played 229 minutes of football so far this season. Only Mariano Diaz, Jesus Vallejo, and Alvaro Odriozola have played fewer minutes for Real Madrid this season than Hazard. That demonstrates his current position at the club.Unless Hazard unexpectedly revives his career in the second half of this season, he should be on his way out when the summer transfer window opens.
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