Danny Murphy has said he’s surprised Manchester City haven’t done more to sign Declan Rice.
Earlier this week, it was reported that Arsenal are closing in on securing a £100m transfer deal for the West Ham United midfielder.
With that in mind, one pundit has claimed that the Citizens should be in the mix to land the Englishman this summer.
Murphy baffled by lack of City interest in Rice
Speaking on talkSPORT, Murphy said this about Rice.
He said: “I’m amazed, I know Arsenal are in for him but I’m amazed City aren’t.
“Because if they lose [Ilkay] Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, they’re different players physically and technically, I know that but if you want a midfielder, if you’re playing Rodri and you had Declan Rice and [Kevin] De Bruyne, Declan would get you double figures, goals, because he can score but he’s been in a West Ham side where he has to do more defending than attacking.
“If he had a choice, you’d go City wouldn’t you, because you learn under the best manager and you’re playing with the best players in the best team currently in the world.”
The midfielder, who has previously shared his ambition of playing in a team that regularly plays in big competitions like the Champions League, recently lifted the Europa Conference League with the east London club in what could be his final act as a part of West Ham.
As Murphy mentioned, City could be losing Gundogan and Silva this summer, with the German’s contract set to expire at the end of the month and the Portuguese international reportedly telling the club he wants to leave.
With that in mind, should either or both of those players end up leaving, it’d be understandable why the club may have looked at bringing someone like Rice in as a potential replacement.
However, given how close the Gunners apparently are to securing the 24-year-old’s signature, it may be too late for Pep Guardiola’s side to do anything about it.
Although, with recent reports linking the Citizens with Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic, this suggests that the club may see him as a preferred midfield option rather than Rice.
