Andy Cole believes should prioritise the signing of Jude Bellingham ahead of this summer.
Rice has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs including United and but is adamant that West Ham’s key midfielder would cost £150 million.
Bellingham, meanwhile, is in his second season with Borussia Dortmund and has already established himself as a pivotal figure at the heart of their midfield.
Both Rice and Bellingham are also on course to be included in England’s World Cup squad later this year.
But Cole believes that United would be better off spending a significant portion of their summer transfer budget on Bellingham instead of Rice.
‘£150m for a holding midfield player? That’s a lot of money,’ Cole told .
‘Not sure how many goals he’s going to get you from that position.
‘We were just talking, if the opportunity comes about when Rice is available in the summer and you had Bellingham come available, who would you spend your £150m on?
‘Personally, I would go with Bellingham, he’s 18 years of age and he goes that way, that way [points up and down], he creates chances, he scores goals.
‘For such a young man, his ability is absolutely frightening. Bellingham has something extra, just energy.’
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