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West Ham still keen on Man Utd midfielder amid Declan Rice rumours

The Hammers' interest in McTominay is long-standing and is unrelated to United's pursuit of Rice; The Scot has two years remaining on his Old Trafford contract; West Ham hope to pocket at least £100m for their captain.

By Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey

Scott McTominay has been tipped to replace Declan Rice
Scott McTominay has been tipped to replace Declan Rice / Richard Sellers | Eddie Keogh / Getty Images
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West Ham United remain interested in signing Scott McTominay from Manchester United, 90min understands, but a transfer is unlikely to hinge on Declan Rice's future.

The Hammers are preparing to lose Rice this summer after he led them to Europa Conference League final glory in June, but will not sanction a move unless any interested party is willing to offer a package worth over £100m.

Arsenal have seen two bids for Rice rejected by West Ham, the last of which is believed to have been worth £90m - broken into £75m in guaranteed money with £15m in additional add-ons. The Gunners are expected to return with a third offer for West Ham's captain, knowing they must up the ante because of the latter's frustration with how negotiations have gone so far.

Rice's preference is to remain in London but he is very much still a target for both Manchester City and Manchester United, the latter of whom are looking to strengthen in the middle of the park ahead of a return to next season's Champions League.

Reports elsewhere have suggested that United may look to use McTominay or Harry Maguire as a bargaining chip in a move for Rice, but 90min understands that any potential transfers away from Old Trafford for those two are unlikely to be as a result of being included in a swap deal.

Indeed, Rice is still likely to join Arsenal at this stage - personal terms on a contract worth in excess of £200,000-a-week are all but agreed - and his desire to remain in the capital could see Chelsea re-enter the running should West Ham fail to agree terms with the Gunners over a fee.

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West Ham are keen on signing both McTominay and Maguire in isolation, with their interest in the former dating back to the beginning of last season, when Erik ten Hag bolstered United's midfield options with the signing of Casemiro.

David Moyes is a huge fan of 26-year-old Scotland international in particular, with his dynamism and energy in midfield likely to appeal given West Ham's increasing match workload.

Newcastle are also interested in signing McTominay but they're looking at boosting their midfield with a couple of high-profile additions - AC Milan's Sandro Tonali the latest target for the Magpies after initial interest was shown in Inter's Nicolo Barella - and that could see the Scot left out in the cold once final decisions have to be made.

Maguire is another player that Moyes is appreciative of and it's no secret that United are willing to let their captain move on this summer. 90min revealed in April that the 30-year-old was open to moving to Serie A on loan, while Tottenham have also registered him as one of their top defensive targets.

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On this week's edition of Talking Transfers, part of the 90min podcast network, Toby Cudworth is joined by Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to discuss the latest transfer news. On the agenda is Arsenal's approach for Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice, the exodus of Chelsea players to Saudi Arabia, Moises Caicedo, Kyle Walker, Man Utd's goalkeeper plans & more!

If you can't see this embed, click here to listen to the podcast!

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