Manuel Pellegrini Admits Sale of West Ham's Declan Rice Is a 'Matter of Price' Amid Man Utd Interest

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellgrini has admitted that Declan Rice could be sold if a suitable offer is made, following speculation that Manchester United are interested in the 20-year-old defensive midfielder and new England international.

There are rumours that United plan to target Rice this summer as part of a plan to buy English talent, while Manchester City have also been linked with the player in recent months.

IAN KINGTON/GettyImages

Pellegrini was unsurprisingly asked about the possible interest in Rice as he spoke to the press ahead of the weekend's Premier League clash with Everton, but his response will have done little to fill Hammers fans with confidence when it comes to keeping their best players.

"In that case as always it's just a matter of price," the Chilean is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"Maybe the big teams decide to pay an important amount of money. If it's a good deal for the club and it's a good deal for the player and he improves with his career, they can do it."

Rice has been with West Ham since the age of 14 when he joined the club from Chelsea.

He made his senior debut in May 2017 in a Premier League game against Burnley and went on to establish himself in the first team while still a teenager during the 2017/18 season.

Rice has played in 28 of West Ham's 30 Premier League games so far this season, starting all 28 of them, and hasn't missed a single league fixture since 1 September.

Stephen Pond/GettyImages

The player remains contracted to the Hammers until June 2024, with the option of a further year, after signing a new long-term deal towards the end of 2018.

A report from The Sun values Rice at £40m, but given his age, existing reputation, potential and the current nature of the transfer market, that number might be considered to be somewhat low.