Ex-Manchester United player David Beckham has confirmed that he did try and persuade Declan Rice to sign for the Red Devils.

The midfielder left West Ham to join Arsenal for £105m at the start of last season but Beckham says he failed to change Rice’s mind over FaceTime:

“I’ve spoken with him through James Corden, I think they were in a Chinese restaurant in London and they facetimed me to say ‘Declan is obviously leaving West Ham and he’s a bit undecided whether it should be Arsenal or Manchester United.

“I was like ‘let me speak to him’, but he obviously didn’t listen!”

Arsenal put the groundwork in to sign the player

It should be pointed out that Manchester City also wanted Rice, with manager Pep Guardiola having recently stated that he was keen to bring the player to the Etihad.

The fact that England international also turned down a move to the Premier League champions suggests United’s chances of securing his signature were pretty slim, to say the least.

Based on what we know now, it appears the Gunners had managed to get the approval of Rice many months before they tabled an official bid.

Man United need to add steel to their midfield

Based on this season’s performances, you would think that head coach Ruben Amorim will be looking to add more energy, pace and power in the middle of the park.

While the ship has well and truly sailed for Rice, the Red Devils could look to snap up another midfielder with similar qualities.

In recent weeks, it has been suggested that Atalanta’s Ederson is one of the club’s main targets for the summer. However, the Brazilian is expected to cost in excess of €45m (£38m).

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here