Manchester City's pursuit of a midfielder just picked up a notch as they are exploring a move for Declan Rice.
Pep Guardiola wants to add a midfielder to his ageing ranks this summer and that's even if Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva remain at City, though their futures are still uncertain. The Blues boss wanted to bring Jude Bellingham to the club but the England prodigy instead chose Real Madrid.
Aside from showing interest in 29-year-old Mateo Kovacic, not many exciting options have presented themselves this summer - that is until now. It's understood City have entered the race to sign West Ham talisman Rice after Arsenal's opening bid for the £100million-rated maestro fell short of the mark.
The structure of Arsenal's proposed deal is also understood to have angered the Hammers, which may have opened the door for City to make their interest concrete though they are yet to table a bid. Though Bellingham has taken most of the spotlight, his Three Lions midfield partner Rice is one of the Premier League's best midfielders and led West Ham to their first European trophy since 1965 with a victory in the Europa Conference League last week.
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It's understood the 24-year-old will leave the London Stadium this summer, with West Ham chairman David Sullivan believing he has played his last game and is '99 per cent' sure he will depart. It would be a statement signing from City to add such quality to a treble-winning side but how would Guardiola utilise him?
Here are three ways City could line up with Rice in their team:
The Gundogan role
Though Bellingham would have been the perfect signing to inherit Gundogan's role, Rice is a high-quality alternative. He may have burst onto the scene as a typical defensive-midfielder, and he can still do that role very well, but Rice has much more to his game than just sitting deep.
On countless occasions he has proved his ability to be a real presence on the pitch, to be able to take responsibility and drive his team on with dynamic, end-to-end performances.
Rice has made a habit of picking the ball up from deep and carrying it large distances to make something happen in the opposition box. His tenacity and ball-winning abilities would also make him very useful in claiming the all-important second balls.
Though he may not quite have the same excellent distribution and tactical awareness as Gundogan, those aspects can certainly be developed by the world's best manager.
Rodri cover
One of Guardiola's biggest issues last season is that he was forced to play the integral Rodri far more than he had hoped. After Fernandinho left last summer, City signed Kalvin Phillips to provide cover in the holding role but he was plagued by injuries for the first half of the season and then wasn't trusted in any important game once he was fit. He wasn't even selected on the few occasions Rodri didn't play.
There is still hope Phillips could find his best form in his second season like many new arrivals before him but it isn't looking good, especially if Rice arrives. Rice would be used as far more than a backup option but his ability to play a disciplined, defensive role means he would lessen the burden on Rodri and allow for the midfield to stay fresher throughout the year.
Double pivot
It would be very interesting to see what implications Rice's arrival would have for John Stones. The defender has dazzled by becoming a superb midfielder in his own right this year and was easily the best player on the park in the Champions League final. The innovation came as Guardiola wanted another body in the middle when City had the ball to give more passing options and remain in control of matches.
But with Rice able to do that job as well, there is the option for Guardiola to revert back to a more traditional defence and have both Rodri and Rice operate as a double pivot.
Guardiola utilised a 4-4-2 on occasions last season when he played Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez up front together and such a quality midfield duo could make it an even more feasible option, especially if Kevin De Bruyne has his minutes managed more tightly with injuries beginning to pile up.
Rice has had a great understanding with Phillips in a double pivot for England in the past, so his arrival could even be a way to actually get the best out of the former Leeds man rather than push him out completely.
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