Declan Rice latest: Third bid imminent with Arsenal, Man City battle nearing crucial stage; Man Utd now ‘outsiders’

Arsenal have told West Ham they will soon make an improved third offer for Declan Rice after Manchester City saw an opening proposal rejected, and a report has revealed exactly how much the Gunners will now bid.
Arsenal have already had two bids for Rice worth £80million and £90m rejected by West Ham. The Irons have told Arsenal the midfielder will only be moving this summer if their £100m valuation is met.
City attempted to capitalise on the situation by launching their own move for Rice on Tuesday morning. They matched Arsenal’s £90m offer, thought it was viewed as being more favourable as more of the money was offered up front.
However, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic, West Ham were left ‘unimpressed’ by City’s bid and swiftly rejected it. They reiterated their intention to get £100m for the England star.
The Daily Mail have now provided a big update on the situation. They reveal Arsenal have told West Ham they will soon return with a fresh offer for Rice.
And crucially, it will be very close to the £100m mark. This could finally tempt David Moyes’ side into letting Rice leave, or they could come back with a counter offer that includes some extra add-ons to help the bid reach £100m.
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Either way, it looks like Arsenal are getting ever closer to finally striking an agreement with West Ham.
Of course, City have the money to rival Arsenal with a £100m offer of their own. They smashed the Premier League transfer record in summer 2021 by spending that exact amount on Rice’s England team-mate Jack Grealish.
Arsenal hoping to beat Man City to Rice deal
However, Arsenal appear to have the advantage as Rice would rather stay in London by joining them than heading to Manchester.
The report adds that Manchester United have expressed an interest in signing Rice. They have even offered the likes of Harry Maguire, Anthony Elanga and Scott McTominay in a potential player-plus-cash deal.
But Man Utd’s reluctance to pay an outright fee for Rice means they can now be considered ‘outsiders’ in the transfer pursuit.
Mikel Arteta would be delighted if Arsenal manage to capture the 24-year-old. Having challenged City for the Prem title last season, Rice could help Arsenal go one step further and end City’s dominance in the competition.
Plus, signing Rice ahead of City would show that Arsenal have great pull power for top stars. This may convince other big-name players to move to the Emirates in the future.
Should the 43-cap international go through with his prospective Arsenal move, then Granit Xhaka will be allowed to leave. He has already agreed personal terms with Bayer Leverkusen ahead of a £13m move there, which is just waiting on Arsenal’s approval.
Arsenal are also willing to put Xhaka’s midfield partner Thomas Partey up for sale, but only if they get a top-class replacement in beforehand.
Meanwhile, a journalist has claimed Arsenal are set to announce a different major signing ‘this week’.