Arsenal third bid for Declan Rice for £105m
As the treble winner Man City had made the third bid which have been rejected by West Ham United, Arsenal made third bid for Rice for £105m as Man City drops out of race.
The 24 year-old, had been offered £90m Euros by treble winner Man City rejected on June 28,2023. Arsenal had made the third offer around £105m for the player.
Declan Rice’s current contract with West Ham United expires by next summer, but has the option to extend until the summer 2025.
If Arsenal’s bid of an initial will be £100m and other for addons, the initial fee would be equal to man city’s record-breaking bid for midfielder Jack Grealish. Jude Bellingham had signed for Real Madrid for £115m from Borussia Dortmund.
The Europa conference league victory over Fiorentina earlier this month, chairman David Sullivan said it was 99% sure that Rice would leave West Ham United this summer.
In pulling out of the Race to sign Rice, Man City are following their strategy of not paying more than own valuation on players, if it means losing them to Premier League rival. By the summer transfers, Man city had completed signing the contract with Mateo Kovacic for £25m
The offer overtakes Arsenal’s transfer record, the £72m they paid Lille for Nicolas Pepe in2019. Rice has been Arsenal’s primary target this summer and the player’s preferred destination is the Gunners.
Arsenal have already had two club-record bids rejected by the Irons a £90m bid comprising a £75m fee and £15m in add-ons and an opening offer thought to be worth £80m plus add-ons.
Gary Neville about Declan Rice
Gary Neville said, “I love Declan Rice. Obviously, Declan knows the position, but when I look at world-class holding midfielders, and players of that type, because he doesn’t score or assist enough goals, you’re putting him into that category of more of a destroyer.
you’ve then got to be someone who I think is highly competent on the ball and linking play, and having that knowledge of the subtleties of getting on the ball from the back four.
“I personally feel, at this moment in time, that Declan needs to go and work under a different set-up, he needs to drive forward in his career, he needs to go and play at a different club.
“I think there’s a lot of growth, and a lot for Declan to do to get up to the levels of Casemiro, Rodri and players at the top of the game in those positions.
“But, for me, I wouldn’t be spending £110m or £120m I would spend £50m-£60m on Declan Rice, but I wouldn’t spend the figures being reported.”
Declan Rice career over the season
Declan Rice has played 245 games and scored 15 goals for West Ham, having made his debut in the 2016-17 season after coming through the academy.
He represented the Republic of Ireland three times before switching his international allegiance to England, for whom he has been capped 41 times, playing in all five matches at the World Cup last year.
Declan Rice is a West Ham United midfielder who has played in the vast majority of the club’s Premier League matches in 2022/2023, making 37 appearances overall and accumulating 3,272 minutes of playing time. He has started in 36 of these appearances across their 38 fixtures and entered as a substitute on one occasion.
The last Premier League match that Rice played came on May 28 for West Ham United versus Leicester City; a meeting that he played 90 minutes in during a 2-1 defeat. In total, the midfielder has netted four Premier League goals in 2022/2023, and provided two assists. He has amassed five yellow cards.
Rice was last on target in the league in the 3-1 win against Leeds United on May 21, netting in the 32nd minute. He opened his account for the campaign against Southampton on October 16, scoring during a 1-1 draw.
Last season for West Ham United, Rice made 36 Premier League appearances, scored one goal and provided four assists.
The midfielder debuted in a Premier League fixture for West Ham United on May 21, 2017 as a substitute versus Burnley aged 18 years and 127 days. In his Premier League career overall, he has appeared 204 times in the competition, with 10 goals scored and 10 assists.
