Manchester City are expected by West Ham United to enter the race to sign Declan Rice this summer.
Earlier today, Arsenal saw a second bid of £75m plus £15m in add-ons rejected by the east London club, who apparently want a bigger fee and a better-structured deal to sell their midfield star.
After it was reported that City are exploring the possibility of making a move to sign the Englishman after seeing Arsenal’s first offer turned down, some extra behind-the-scenes details have emerged on the situation.
City expected to join Rice race
A recent report from The Guardian had this to say on the matter.
They said: “Arsenal had an initial £80m offer rejected last week and want to secure Rice quickly.
“They remain confident of signing the England midfielder but Manchester City are monitoring the situation as they await a decision from Ilkay Gundogan on whether he will extend his stay.
“West Ham expect City to enter the race this week.”
After making his senior debut for the Hammers back in May 2017 in a 2-1 Premier League win over Burnley, the 24-year-old has gone on to make 245 appearances for David Moyes’ side across all competitions, scoring 15 goals and supplying 13 assists.
His latest and potentially final appearance for the club saw Rice captain his side in the Europa Conference League final, which they eventually won by beating Fiorentina 2-1.
Having already caught the attention of Pep Guardiola, who previously described the England international as an “exceptional” player, this could be why the Citizens have been mentioned with an apparent interest in getting involved in this particular transfer saga.
Taking into account the sort of fees that are being presented to West Ham for Rice and the apparent eagerness Arsenal have to sign him shows how highly valued he is and why a potential move for him from City would be a very significant one.
