Manchester United have a plan to beat Chelsea to the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United this summer.
The 22-year-old England international has been the subject of mass speculation since last summer, with the Blues and United both interested in making a move.
And according to The Athletic, the Manchester-based club have an action plan to take the lead in the race for his signature.
The past two and a half months have seen Jesse Lingard shine at the London Stadium after making the move from United on loan.
Ole Gunnnar Solskjaer is an admirer of Rice, according to the report, and wants to add him to his midfield options once the season is over.
United could look to use Lingard as a makeweight for the former Chelsea academy product.
David Moyes recently insisted that Rice is worth "far more" than £100million, so any deal for the midfielder will not be cheap.
So the Hammers' stance on Rice is very clear, they do not want to sell him for anything less than an astronomical sum, but United are hoping to sweeten their thoughts by offering Lingard, as well as a hefty fee.
The United loanee didn't have a sniff at Old Trafford prior to his move to London, with Bruno Fernandes taking the Premier League by storm in a similar position to where Lingard used to feature under Solskjaer.
The report claims that United's stance on Rice will be dependent on the progress they make on transfer targets in other areas of the pitch.
This could spell bad news for Chelsea, if Manchester United approach West Ham with a Lingard plus cash offer for Rice.
However, the majority of the transfer talk surrounding Rice came when Frank Lampard was in charge, but he has since been replaced by Thomas Tuchel - who may have other targets in mind.
Rice was at the Blues' academy from 2006 until 2014 and was then released before making a move across London to join West Ham.
The Hammers star revealed in November 2020 that being released by Chelsea at such a young age helped shape his footballing career.
Asked by Sky Sports if the Blues letting him go when he was 14 was the best thing that could have happened, Rice said: "I think so. I think that’s the making of me to be honest with you.
"I had to move to West Ham at 14, away from my family. I’m a family boy, love my mum and dad, live at home with them, and to leave them at 14 to play with people I don’t know from Monday to Friday, I think that shaped me into the person I am.
"I had to start being responsible for myself, but look, I’ve come here and flourished. I’ve had three managers that have really looked after me, I’m loving life here."
