West Ham United response to club-record Declan Rice bid from Arsenal emerges as Manchester City lurk – David Ornstein
Arsenal have tabled a second Declan Rice bid to West Ham of £75million plus £15million in add-ons but it is set to be rejected, David Ornstein reports.
The “club-record” offer from the Emirates will be turned down but The Athletic journalist suggests the are “getting closer” to an amount that will see the Hammers let their captain go.
West Ham are widely expected to want north of £100million, with Sky Sports reporting on 10 June that it will take as much as £120million this summer.
Ornstein reports that Manchester City are “actively exploring” a bid for the 24-year-old midfielder, but he is Arsenal’s top target in the summer window.
No good
It is becoming clear that Arsenal are not prepared to get this chase wrapped up quickly before competition crystallises within the Premier League.
They appear to have seen off competition from Bayern Munich already, but given Rice is widely believed to want to stay in the Premier League that was perhaps not a huge challenge.
His preference is to remain in the capital by most accounts, so that hands Mikel Arteta’s side a major advantage, but the lure of the Etihad has proven too much for plenty of others to resist before.
So depending on what Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners come up with in terms of a bid, the landscape for this transfer race could yet change.
West Ham have remained consistent in their stance on what they want to let Rice go, and while David Sullivan has accepted the midfielder can leave [talkSPORT, 8 June] that doesn’t mean he is willing to sanction a cut-price exit.
The signs continue to point towards the Irons selling to Arsenal ultimately, but it looks like it is going to take multiple bids for them to creep towards the right number.
How long that will take remains to be seen, but with a lot of subsequent business at both clubs likely resting on this move the pressure will increase as time passes.