Arsenal face fresh Rice threat as West Ham respond to official bid

Tom Weber

15 Jun 2023 11:10 BST
3 min read

West Ham's Declan Rice is linked with Arsenal — © ProShots

West Ham have rejected Arsenal's official bid for Declan Rice as Manchester City enter the race, according to reports.

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Rice's expected summer transfer is on the verge of turning into a veritable saga. Arsenal have been considered the clear favourites to land the English international for months and - as we have been exclusively reporting - the player is keen on a move to the Emirates, but there could be a twist in the tale now.

Arsenal have been in preliminary talks with West Ham over Rice for over a month - as revealed exclusively by FootballTransfers - but they have seen their first official bid knocked back by their Premier League rivals, the Guardian reports. This was predicted.

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Our sources have indicated that the Gunners' proposal was in the region of £80 million (€93m), which is some way short of West Ham's valuation north of €100m. So, Arsenal would have had to make an improved offer anyway.

There is, however, the problem that, according to the Athletic, Manchester City have now joined the transfer battle to sign the 24-year-old, which could blow this race wide open.

READ: Arsenal risk losing wonderkid as Chelsea and Man City move in

What does this mean for Rice and Arsenal?

Arsenal must still be confident of being able to eventually secure a deal given the player's desire to move to north London, but City's financial muscle could prove to be alluring.

Our sources have informed us that Rice will not force a move if he feels West Ham are not being adequately remunerated by the potential buyers. This stance won't have changed and this could tip the balance in City's favour should a bidding war start.

There is no cause for concern for Arsenal supporters just yet purely because City have not made any official advances at this point, claims the Athletic. They are, however, "actively exploring an approach," so this is one to keep an eye on.