Pundit urges £100 million-rated star to snub Manchester United move and join Arsenal instead

Rangers legend Ally McCoist has claimed that West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice should secure a permanent move to Arsenal instead of Manchester United in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Rice, 24, has emerged as a hot topic of discussion since the turn of the year as he is in the final year of his deal. He was rumored to move to the Emirates Stadium in the winter transfer window but a potential deal failed to materialize.

Since then, the West Ham captain has been linked with the Red Devils. However, he is set to be a part of a transfer saga in the near future as the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are also keen to sign the star.

When queried about his honest assessment of Rice's immediate future, McCoist told talkSPORT:

"It's a funny one. If I'm Rice and I'm weighing up my options, I'd rather go to Arsenal than Manchester United."

Explaining his reasoning behind his claim of Rice opting to join Arsenal ahead of Manchester United, McCoist added:

"I look at United over the weekend and over the entire campaign – and I know they've won the League Cup this year – but they look as though they're four or five players behind Manchester City. I still think the Gunners are well behind Manchester City now, but in my opinion, they've got the potential to get nearer to them quicker."

Rice, who is valued at north of £100 million, has registered 15 goals and 13 assists in 244 matches for his team so far. He averaged 2.1 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game in the 2022-23 season for the Hammers.

He is next set to play in the Europa Conference League summit tie against Fiorentina on Wednesday (June 7).

Arsenal will look to bring in Rice to take over the place of Granit Xhaka, who is expected to leave for Bayer Leverkusen this summer. As for Manchester United, they will want him to start at the base of midfield along with Casemiro. Both clubs would stand to gain greatly from his signature.

Manchester United move ahead of Arsenal in race to sign star: Reports

Rasmus Hojlund has emerged as one of the most promising talents in Europe this season. He has scored 16 goals and laid out seven assists in just 2551 first-team minutes for his club Atalanta and Austrian outfit Sturm Graz so far.

Due to his rise in stature at both club and country level, the 20-year-old has drawn interest from Manchester United.

However, earlier this week, Calciomercato reported that Arsenal are considered to be the favorites to snap up the FC Copenhagen academy graduate. The Gunners are currently in the market to rope in a competitor for Gabriel Jesus.

Now, as per The Athletic, Manchester United have approached Atalanta a number of times about formulating a deal to sign Hojlund in the past. They have dethroned Mikel Arteta's side as the favorites to land the attacker's signature.