It has been reported that that Manchester City will only try to complete a transfer for Declan Rice if Ilkay Gundogan calls it a day at the club.
This comes from The Athletic journalist Sam Lee after Fabrizio Romano claimed that City enquired about the West Ham United skipper’s situation on Friday.
Now it seems that whether Manchester City sign Declan Rice or not depends on if Ilkay Gundogan stays or leaves the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City will only explore Declan Rice transfer if Ilkay Gundogan leaves
Branded as an ‘exceptional player’ by Pep Guardiola himself via Beanyman Sports, the England international has been linked with a move to Arsenal for the past couple of months.
However, last week, it seemed like the treble-winners entered the picture, with a report claiming that they could end up blowing Mikel Arteta’s side out of the water in an attempt to sign him.
As several Manchester City fans have debated about how serious the club really are about signing Declan Rice, the truth is that their approach relies heavily on whether Ilkay Gundogan stays or leaves.
While the Sky Blues are interested in the Englishman but more so as a replacement for their talismanic captain.
If Gundogan does end up likely signing for Barcelona in the summer, the club would explore a deal where Kalvin Phillips could end up joining David Moyes’ side.
Manchester City should avoid signing the Englishman
As incredible a player as Declan Rice is, Manchester City would be making a mistake by eyeing him as a replacement for Ilkay Gundogan.
In a summer where Bernardo Silva could also leave the club, the need for a controller in the middle of the park would become necessary.
Rice, on the other hand is a more all-action box-to-box midfielder, who has also made a name for himself as a sensational No.6.
As a result, Manchester City would be signing the incorrect profile of player to fill Ilkay Gundogan’s boots, in case he does leave and the Hammers legend does sign for the club.
