Arsenal saw their opening bid to sign Declan Rice immediately rejected by West Ham United, confirms Fabrizio Romano. The Gunners consider the England international to be a priority summer target but face a lot of obstacles to get the deal done.
Arsenal See Declan Rice Opening Bid Rejected
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 🚨⚪️🔴 #AFC
Man City, informed on Rice deal but Arsenal remain favourites – they’re expected to bid again. pic.twitter.com/H0s72epFPp
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 15, 2023
Arsenal Now Facing Man City Threat in Rice Chase
The English midfielder is coming off the back of a very good season for the Hammers, in which he played a pivotal role in ensuring that they avoided Premier League relegation and won the UEFA Europa Conference League title – their first piece of silverware in decades.
Read More: Arsenal Eyeing Possible Summer Move for Ilkay Gundogan
Romano notes that soon after their major win, Arsenal decided to launch their first offer to sign him – which was valued to be around £80 million in total with all add-ons and expenses included in it too. However, their London rivals weren’t impressed by it and swiftly turned it down, as it wasn’t enough to convince them to part with their club captain.
Amid all this, Romano adds that Manchester City have entered the race to potentially sign the 24-year-old, but they are yet to make an official approach to sign him for the time being. The North London giants remain the favourites to sign him and are expected to make a second bid very soon.
How Can Rice Improve Arsenal?
The Gunners are likely to have to pay much more to sign the England star in the summer, with David Moyes stating last season that it would take a bid of at least £150 million to get his team to sell their prized asset in the summer.
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However, Mikel Arteta’s side will keep pushing because of the Spaniard’s desire to improve his midfield with the inclusion of the vastly talented 24-year-old. Rice, who is rumored to earn relatively low wages of £80,000-a-wee with West Ham, is known for his impressive ball-winning skills and unique ability to carry the possession forward after regaining it. The Englishman, who came up through the Hammers’ youth system, has made 245 appearances for them so far – scoring 15 goals and providing 13 assists – but it looks like he’s poised for a move to a major club to compete for top honours.
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