Arsenal have had an opening offer of £80m for Declan Rice turned down by West Ham, who anticipate Manchester City entering the bidding for the midfielder.
West Ham want £100m for Rice and the expectation at the start of the week was that Arsenal would meet the asking price by including various add-ons. Initial talks had progressed well and there was confidence the transfer would not turn into a saga.
The 24-year-old’s preference has been to remain in London and there will be no issue over personal terms with Arsenal if they can agree a fee. But Pep Guardiola spoke to Rice before the end of the season and City’s interest could complicate matters for Arteta. The expectation had been that Rodri’s form meant that City were not in need of another defensive midfielder. The treble winners have been in talks with Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic, who will cost about £35m, and are trying to convince Ilkay Gündogan to extend his deal.
Rice has also been targeted by Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Newcastle. However Bayern have withdrawn after concluding there is little chance of Rice moving to Germany.
West Ham’s co-owner David Sullivan admitted last week that Rice was going to leave. Rice has a year on his contract, with the option of an extra year, and has no intention of signing an extension. He helped West Ham win the Europa Conference League last week but is determined to compete at a higher level and play in the Champions League.
West Ham will look to replace Rice with two midfielders, with Ajax’s Edson Álvarez, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and Fulham’s João Palhinha on their radar.
West Ham have also held talks over signing Leicester’s Harvey Barnes but face competition from Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham.
