Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole has urged the club to forget about their pursuit of Declan Rice and sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham instead, who has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford.
The 18-year-old is a regular for both club and country and is tipped to make a return to England in the coming years, with several of Europe’s elite clubs keeping a close eye on the Birmingham City youth product.
Rice, who has two years remaining on his deal at West Ham, is valued at £150m by the London club and could prove to be out of United’s budget. Cole has now urged his former side to shelve plans to sign Rice and go after Bellingham instead.
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“£150m for a holding midfield player? That’s a lot of money,” he told Sky Sports, according to The Sun. “Not sure how many goals he’s going to get you from that position.
“We were just talking, if the opportunity comes about when Rice is available in the summer and you had Bellingham come available, who would you spend your £150m on?
“Personally, I would go with Bellingham, he’s 18 years of age and he goes that way, that way [points up and down], he creates chances, he scores goals.
