Jesse Lingard wanted by Nice as Ligue 1 side join Newcastle and West Ham in transfer chase for Man Utd star
LIGUE 1 side Nice are the latest club to join the race to sign Manchester United man Jesse Lingard, according to reports.
The 29-year-old England international has not started a single Premier League game for the Red Devils this season.
And the lack of opportunities for him at Old Trafford mean he has been linked with a host of moves in the January transfer window.
Among them include West Ham, where he spent the second half of last season on loan – scoring nine goals in 16 games.
Newcastle have also been mooted as potential suitors for Lingard, with Sport Witness now reporting that Nice are another team in the frame.
The French outfit currently sit second in Ligue 1, 11 points off runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Lingard’s contract with United expires at the end of the campaign, so the January window looks set to be the club’s last opportunity to receive a fee for him.
Last week, boss Ralf Rangnick confirmed Newcastle were one of the clubs interested in signing Lingard.
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He said: “Regarding Jesse, it’s the same as quite a few other players, he’s a really good player.
“Newcastle showed interest in him but I am not the one dealing with that.
“If you ask me now what will happen in the next 10 days I cannot answer that question, I’m afraid.
“As I said, it’s the question of what does the player want? What other options does he have? Does he have the chance to get game time? I cannot answer for him, it has to be done by the players.
“He’s a very good player, a technical player.
“Here at Manchester United it’s not so easy, we have other players who can play in that position and we cannot change from one game to another five or six positions.”
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Rangnick also insists he would be fine with Lingard opting to stay with United until the summer.
“I wouldn’t be unhappy if he stayed until the rest of the season because he is a player who can always play and I know the level,” he added.
United have a host of options in the attacking areas – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Elanga, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata.
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