Manchester City have moved ahead of Arsenal in the sweepstakes to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in a surprising turnaround in the saga.
Despite the player’s preference reportedly being to remain in London and join Arsenal, it appears the Gunners’ bid has fallen short of West Ham’s expectations with Man City able to meet the £100m value instead.
Arsenal’s second offer was £75m plus £15m in add-ons which has been rejected by the Hammers and Pep Guardiola is keen to add Rice to his midfield following the departure of Ilkay Gundogan and the uncertainty of Bernardo Silva’s future.
Rice may look at the situation of Kalvin Phillips, who joined City last season in a big-money move and has failed to break into the rotation, as a factor in his preference to play under Mikel Arteta.
The Premier League champions are also closing in on the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, but Rice would slot into Guardiola’s midfield three alongside Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne seamlessly.
According to Premier League betting sites, Manchester City are odds-on to sign the player but Arsenal remain at a short price and are firmly in the running to land one of football’s hottest young prospects.
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Declan Rice Next Club Odds
- Manchester City @ 8/11
- Arsenal @ 1/1
- Manchester United @ 16/1
- To stay at West Ham @ 20/1
- Chelsea @ 25/1
- Bayern Munich @ 50/1
🏴 @ManCity are in advanced talks with @WestHam to sign Declan #Rice. #MCFC willing to anticipate @Arsenal. @SkySport
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) June 23, 2023
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Rice made 50 appearances for West Ham last season and lifted the Europa Conference League trophy under David Moyes, marking the club’s second European triumph after winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965.
The 24-year-old has a tough decision on his hands and whilst Arsenal may be his preference at this moment in time, there is no doubt he would give himself a greater chance at silverware with a switch to the Etihad.
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