Man City are lining up West Ham youngster Declan Rice as a long-term replacement for Fernandinho, according to the Sun.
The report claims that Guardiola is going to assess 19-year-old Rice over the course of the season before making a decision about a move next summer.
It is claimed that West Ham wouldn’t consider a deal for any less than £50million but this is obviously within the budget of the super-rich Man City.
Rice recently signed a new contract worth £30,000-a-week.
West Ham’s ever-reliable ITK account said that there was genuine interest from Man City but said he would be surprised if clubs like Man City weren’t looking at him.
He also said it was good news that they had managed to get his new deal sorted.
OPINION
This just shows you how ludicrous it was that West Ham seemingly refused to pay Rice what he wanted for his new contract. He might be only 19-years-old but he’s already got the big clubs taking notice and his new £30k-a-week deal seems like a snip now, especially when you look at some of the club’s higher earners, like Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez. If Guardiola decides that Rice is the long-term replacement for Fernandinho, it will be hard to put them off, but Rice’s new contract has guaranteed them a massive fee. £50million would be an incredible price for a 20-year-old, but West Ham fans know how good Rice is and how good he will potentially be in the future. It’s also testament to how highly Guardiola rates Rice that he’s comparing him to the man consider irreplaceable at Man City. Guardiola’s side lost two out of the three games that Fernandinho was missing through injury.