Man Utd told to ignore £150m Declan Rice and go for “frightening” Liverpool and Chelsea target

Man Utd told to ignore £150m Declan Rice and go for “frightening” Liverpool and Chelsea target

Andy Cole believes Manchester United should forget about Declan Rice and instead spend big money on Jude Bellingham during the summer transfer window.

At the end of the season, United are looking for a central midfielder and have been connected with West Ham’s Rice. 

The England international has had a remarkable season for the Hammers and is sure to draw a lot of interest in the transfer market this summer.

West Ham manager David Moyes, on the other hand, has already sought to dampen speculation by stating Rice is worth “north” of £150 million.

Rice is under contract with West Ham until June 2024, which means United, Chelsea, and Manchester City may struggle to sign him this season.

Another English talent anticipated to be fought for in the summer transfer window is Bellingham. 

The 18-year-old midfielder only joined Borussia Dortmund in July 2020 for a fee of £25 million, but he is already heavily linked with a move to the Premier League.

Liverpool and Chelsea are said to be interested in the box-to-box midfielder, and former United striker Cole believes he would be a better buy for the club this summer. On Sky Sports, he stated:

“£150m for a holding midfield player? That’s a lot of money. Not sure how many goals he’s going to get you from that position.

“We were just talking, if the opportunity comes about when Rice is available in the summer and you had Bellingham come available, who would you spend your £150m on?

“Personally, I would go with Bellingham, he’s 18 years of age and he goes that way, that way [points up and down], he creates chances, he scores goals. For such a young man, his ability is absolutely frightening. Bellingham has something extra, just energy.”

Man City now hold the British transfer record, having paid £100 million to Aston Villa for Jack Grealish last summer. 

However, with Rice and Bellingham in red-hot form, it is probable that it will be broken in the next window.

Bellingham’s contract with Dortmund expires in June 2025, and the German club is unlikely to sell, especially given Erling Haaland’s condition.

Haaland has a clause in his contract that allows him to depart this summer for merely £63 million (€75 million), and Dortmund will be reluctant to lose both talents in the same transfer window.

United are now focused on finding a new manager, so any move for Rice or Bellingham may have to wait.

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Man Utd told to ignore £150m Declan Rice and go for “frightening” Liverpool and Chelsea target