Arsenal have been dealt a first blow in their pursuit of West Ham midfield sensation, Declan Rice as West Ham rejected their opening bid.
The Gunners are concretely interested in brokering a deal with West Ham to sign the highly-rated playmaker this summer.
Talks with West Ham have been on the table while sources close to the player confirmed Rice has discussed personal terms with their London neighbors.
Declan Rice is a top transfer target for many Premier League clubs this summer. He has turned down a contract renewal offer to send a message to suitors of his readiness to open a new bigger chapter in his career.
West Ham Chairman, David Sullivan confirmed after the club’s Europa Conference League triumph Declan Rice ‘will leave the London Stadium this summer’ after he rejected a new contract renewal proposal.
However, West Ham will not allow the 24-year-old to leave without cashing in heavily on the player with interests from the biggest clubs in the Premier League and Bundesliga.
Declan Rice has two years remaining in his contract with West Ham. The Hammers will definitely not hesitate to recreate another Moises Caicedo-styled transfer saga at London Stadium if they don’t have a suitable offer for the player.
Arsenal are deemed clear favorites to sign Declan Rice ahead of the likes of Manchester City who are currently in talks with Chelsea for Croatian playmaker, Mateo Kovacic.
ESPN reports Manchester City are ready to rival Arsenal for Declan Rice with a possible player-plus-cash offer involving out-of-favor midfielder, Kalvin Philips.
Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, are also interested in Rice but they are not ready to tender an offer yet. They are monitoring proceedings from rival interests.
Despite interests from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, Arsenal are still deemed top favorites to sign Declan Rice this summer.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal are not tinkering with Declan Rice move and have submitted an opening bid for the player worth £90m which has been immediately turned down by West Ham.
The Gunners’ bid involves a £80m bid for the player and a £10m add-ons. Sources close to West Ham United reveal the Hammers value Declan Rice in excess of £100m and are expecting offers in the region of six digits before parting ways with the England star.
Declan Rice is a home-grown West Ham star at the peak of his football career. Since breaking into West Ham first team from the Academy in 2017, Rice has been an integral part of the Hammers’ squad.
While his Premier League goal tally for West Ham falls below expectation, Rice is a sensation at the middle of the park and a great playmaker. He is a two-footer and can dribble in either directions with a great positioning and ball-carrying skills.
Arsenal are expected to make an improved offer for Rice soon following the rejected opening bid.
