It has been claimed that Manchester City were never fully committed in the race to sign Arsenal-bound midfielder Declan Rice.
This comes from journalist Dean Jones, who told The Football Terrace about the reality of the situation behind-the-scenes about what could be the biggest transfer of the summer transfer window.
It seems like while Manchester City were keen on signing Declan Rice, they were never fully dedicated to bringing him over to the Etihad Stadium.
Journalist: Manchester City were never fully committed to Declan Rice transfer
Just over two weeks ago, it was reported that the treble-winners had pulled out of the race to sign the 24-year-old, branded as ‘world-class’ by Gary Neville on Sky Sports.
With Arsenal having bid a record-£105 million fee for a British player, the Sky Blues decided to look elsewhere in their search of a brand-new midfielder.
Now, Dean Jones has revealed that Manchester City were never really as invested as Arsenal in their pursuit of signing Declan Rice.
“Rice, yeah they went for him but it never felt like they were fully committed, I never felt like City were fully committed. They definitely liked him, but if they really wanted Declan Rice, they could’ve gone more aggressive second time around. They didn’t and they sat back, probably because they knew Rice and Arsenal had a deal in place, but still.”
Manchester City have a habit of pulling out of such deals
Whether it be when Manchester City were reported to be interest in Harry Maguire or Alexis Sanchez, they tend not to panic when pulling out of such deals, and the same could be in the case of Declan Rice.
In most cases, City tend to back their squad as well as Guardiola’s tactical genius to guide them through and it has so far.
As excellent a player as Rice is, perhaps an advanced midfielder is more necessary for the club due to Gundogan’s departure, especially when considering West Ham’s lofty demands.
