With pressure mounting due to Manchester City’s interest, Arsenal lodged a club-record bid of £100million for West Ham captain Declan Rice on Tuesday night. A further £5m is also available in add-ons, though it remains to be seen whether the payment terms are enough to satisfy the Hammers or if they invite offers from elsewhere in a last-gasp attempt to maximise their profits.
City’s £90m offer for Rice last week sent shockwaves through the Emirates Stadium after Pep Guardiola’s side proposed attractive instalments and achievable bonuses. However, the bid was swiftly rejected as it fell short of the £100m mark, though it provided Arsenal with the incentive to seriously pursue their top target in fear of missing out to their Premier League title rivals.
Manchester United will also continue to monitor Rice’s situation and have reportedly identified several fringe players that they would be willing to insert into a deal, though they may be resigned to pushing for alternatives due to the player’s Arsenal preference and how they must raise funds prior to making a mammoth bid of their own.
Elsewhere, Chelsea and Tottenham are focusing on their own targets and are looking to capitalise on respective opportunities. With many clubs distracted by the Rice saga, the Blues are pushing to strike a deal with Brighton for Moises Caicedo, meanwhile, Spurs have accelerated talks with Leicester City for James Maddison after Newcastle cooled their interest to reassess their business this summer. Express Sport keeps you up to date with all the latest…
