Declan Rice on Manchester United shortlist for next summer transfer

Manchester United are reportedly still interested in bringing Declan Rice to Old Trafford next summer, after they opted not to boost their midfield options.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side had a busy transfer window, as Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane all signed for the club with United addressing gaps in their squad.

But there was no new midfield arrival, with Fred, Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic trusted to be sufficient options for the season ahead.

However, according to ESPN, United are planning on signing a midfielder next summer, and West Ham's Rice is one of those on the shortlist.

The club were well aware of supporters' desire to see a midfield signing in the recent transfer window, but decided to prioritise other positions.

It is believed that the Hammers would have to lower their current valuation of in the region of £100m for the 22-year-old, who is keen to play Champions League football, if a deal is to be struck with United.

Rice is under contract at the London Stadium until 2024, so there is no immediate need for West Ham to consider cashing in one of their star players.

Chelsea have also been linked with the midfielder in the past, with the midfielder playing for the club's academy as a youngster. Rice's close friendship with Mason Mount is also well publicised.

Rice scored his second international goal last week against Hungary, as England cruised past their opponents.

He also took the opportunity to pretend to take a drink from a cup thrown onto the pitch from the crowd, with the match marred by racist abuse from home supporters.

Gareth Southgate was not particularly impressed with Rice for his response to the cup being thrown.

'I think we needed to be a little bit careful in how our interaction with the crowd was,' the England manager said.

'We all recognise that certain things that happened weren't acceptable but also we ran a little bit of a risk of inflaming some of those situations.'