According to a new report, Manchester United could include Scott McTominay in a partial swap deal to sign West Ham star Declan Rice this summer.
The West Ham captain will be the subject of a fierce transfer battle this summer, with Arsenal, Chelsea, United and Bayern Munich all said to be interested in signing him.
All talks will take place after the Europa Conference League final, in which Rice is expected to lead The Hammers in Prague against Italian side Fiorentina.
But the Daily Mail claim Arsenal are set to make an offer for the 24-year-old after the final, with Rice a main midfield target for Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.
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United were also keen to sign the midfielder, but had problems with their initial transfer budget. As reported by Athletic, it was initially at £100m but could rise with the sale of players. Arsenal's budget, on the other hand, is believed to be around £180m before the sale, according to the Mail's 'Secret Transfers' column.
Now, according to a new report, Erik ten Hag's team has devised a plan to potentially secure Rice's signature without paying the asking price.
Will McTominay barter with Rice?
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The Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel claims United will offer a lower fee to sign Rice than the £90m offer Arsenal are preparing. However, the report adds that the club are willing to offer players to West Ham in exchange for a portion of rice.
And one of those players is thought to be possibly Scotland international midfielder Scott McTominay, as the Hammers have been reported to be interested in the 26-year-old.
McTominay has not started regularly for Ten Hag this season, but has had to deal with multiple injuries and still has 24 Premier League appearances.
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He has also attracted interest from Newcastle, starting in the January transfer window, and he has been hailed by legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Speaking to the Scottish Football Federation in April 2021 about the midfielder, Ferguson explained:
“Scott McTominay is becoming one of United's great players. When you watch Man United pick their squad for a big game, McTominay's name will be there. He's a good character, a great coach.
"I know the boy a little bit and I think that's the context. I signed him when he was 7 or 8 years old, and he was really a centre-back when he was a kid.
“He's just sprouted up, a bit like Darren Fletcher - Darren had some nasty little injuries growing up and needed time off, things like that. Advertisement
"McTominay is the same type of guy as Darren - long, lanky, good on the ball and has good pace, great attitude to the game. All the qualities that Darren Fletcher has, he has."
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