Manchester United want to sign Declan Rice in January

Manchester United have been struggling under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but they still seem to have a lot of faith in the Norwegian gaffer. The Red Devils are reportedly ready to back the club-legend-turned-manager in January, with a number of big signings. 

Young West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has been linked with the 20-time English champions for quite some time now. It seems now that they are ready to make a deal in January.

Manchester United did spend a fortune last summer. They spent almost £150m to bring the trio of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James to Old Trafford, but failed to sign a midfielder.

Their preferred midfield target has been the West Ham prodigy for quite some time now, but the Manchester United board could not offer the Londoners a deal that they would be tempted to accept.

The Red Devils desperately need reinforcements in the middle of the park. They are short in both quality and also in terms of numbers. 

The club lost Ander Herrera, who joined PSG on a free transfer. They also let go of Marouane Fellaini, who made his switch to China. Neither of them has been replaced and the struggle is quite evident.

Rice is one of the most promising young players in England and also in Europe right now. His performance this season has seen his demand rise even higher.

The 20-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Hammers and has already developed into a regular under England boss Gareth Southgate.

In recent years, Manchester United have shown a principle of building their squad mostly with quality young British players and Rice rightly fits the profile. Even though a summer transfer is more likely for Rice, a January move might well be on the cards.

Cover image courtesy: West Ham United