West Ham must substantially increase £40m asking price for Rice amid Old Trafford interest

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West Ham United and England midfielder Declan Rice is the subject of transfer interest from Manchester United, according to the Sun.

On the day that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was confirmed as the Red Devils’ new manager, the Sun reported that he had put his emphasis on youth when it comes to reshaping a squad that is expensive but imbalanced and ageing.

But the report claims that the Hammers want £40m, for the man who signed a new contract in December, which the Sun reported at the time is worth £30,000 per week.

Now that he’s a fixture in the Hammers first team and has made his England debut – looking set to form part of the squad that goes in search of Nations League glory in the summer, he is worth more than £40m.

That’s before getting to just how important he has become to a West Ham side that has come along leaps and bounds under Manuel Pellegrini this season.

£40m remains a lot of money but for a young, promising English player with years left on his contract, it shouldn’t be enough, especially in a summer when the likes of Marko Arnautovic look set to leave and raise some cash.

West Ham hold all the cards with Rice now and letting him go for just £40m would be the biggest mistake they could make in the transfer window.