Arsenal have reportedly had an £80 million bid ‘rejected immediately’ in their pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, according to Fabrizio Romano on Twitter.
West Ham willing reportedly hold out for a bid in excess of £100 million before they allow to leave the club – certain sources have mentioned that their valuation of the player could be in the region of £120 million.
In Romano’s tweet, he wrote: “Arsenal opening bid for Declan Rice has been rejected immediately by West Ham — sources guarantee that total value of the proposal was £80m. Not enough to convince West Ham. Man City, informed on Rice deal but Arsenal remain favourites – they’re expected to bid again.”
He followed this up with another tweet, writing: “Arsenal have significantly advanced on Declan Rice’s personal terms in the last few days — that’s why Arsenal will bid again to find a solution with West Ham. £80m was never gonna be enough to convince West Ham, as they hope for more than £100m to sell Rice.”
Who else, besides Arsenal, are in the race to sign Declan Rice?
While Arsenal appear to be leading the pack to secure Declan Rice’s signature, they are far from the only team in the hunt. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.
Despite the slew of massive clubs lining up to bring Rice on board, the England international’s preferred destination is believed to be at the Emirates Stadium.
Declan Rice career summary
Born in London, Rice joined the academy of Chelsea in 2006, when he was just seven years of age. After almost a decade with the Blues, he was released in 2014 – but he did not let this discourage him, as he subsequently joined the youth ranks at West Ham.
He made his senior Hammers debut in 2017, steadily rising up the ranks. He has gone on to establish himself as one of the Irons’ greatest players in the Premier League era, making 204 appearances for them and scoring ten goals.
Additionally, he also boasts numerous caps for England. As things stand, Rice has made 41 international appearances for the Three Lions, scoring three goals in those encounters.
