Manchester City submitted a £90 million proposal for West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Manchester City, who overpowered Arsenal to win the Premier League title last season, are now trying to beat the Gunners to Rice’s signature. The bid is made up of £80m up front and £10m in add-ons.
The bid falls short of West Ham’s evaluation and is expected to be rejected.
Arsenal is still trying to sign Declan Rice, and West Ham is expecting them to make a third proposal after having two rejected.
Rice will leave West Ham in the close season after the midfielder captained the club to their first European trophy in 58 years.
Hammers chairman David Sullivan said a gentleman’s agreement means Rice can leave despite a year remaining on his contract with the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Rice joined West Ham’s academy from Chelsea as a teenager and has been ever-present since his breakthrough season in 2017-18. He took over the captaincy after Mark Noble’s retirement last year.
The 24-year-old played 50 games in all competitions this season as West Ham finished 14th in the Premier League before clinching the Europa Conference League in Prague.
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Rice has played more than 200 games for West Ham and also earned 41 caps for England since his international debut in 2019.
Manchester United have an interest in Rice and there have been discussions internally about how possible it would be to sanction a deal.
Due to Financial Fair Play rules, it is unlikely United could spend a huge portion of their budget on one player – especially as they have other areas they want to strengthen.
West Ham have agreed to let Rice go this summer but want a deal worth £120m if they are to sanction their captain’s departure.
City’s interest increases the likelihood of a bidding war between themselves and Arsenal, and the possibility of West Ham’s asking price being matched.
