Manchester City have pulled out of the race to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice after Arsenal submitted a third bid worth £105m.
City had a £90m offer rejected by West Ham on Tuesday after the Premier League champions bid £80m up front, plus £10m in add-ons for the England midfielder.
But Pep Guardiola’s side have decided to not match or surpass Arsenal’s £105m bid for Rice with the Gunners offering a £100m initial fee, plus £5m in performance-related add-ons.
- What Rice would add to Arsenal and where he would fit
- Transfer Centre LIVE!
- Get Sky Sports | Get NOW to stream biggest moments
Image: Declan Rice's preferred next destination is Arsenal
In pulling out of the race to sign Rice, City are following their strategy of not paying more than their own valuation on players, even if it means losing them to a Premier League rival.
Examples include Harry Maguire when he went to Manchester United, and when Jorginho and Marc Cucarella both joined Chelsea – all of whom they wanted to sign but felt comfortable walking away when the price got too high.
Trending
- Transfer Centre LIVE! Kane, Rice, Maddison latest
- Tongue claims second wicket as Warner falls for 66 LIVE!
- Man City pull out of Rice race after Arsenal submit £105m bid
- Papers: Man Utd’s summer budget revealed at £100m
- What is going on with De Gea’s future at Man Utd?
- Maddison having Spurs medical after £40m deal agreed
- Arsenal transfers: Gunners also closing in on Havertz and Timber
- Man City transfers: Why City pulled out of Rice chase
- Premier League transfers: Club by club
- What Rice would add to Arsenal and where he would fit
- Video
- Latest News
Arsenal and West Ham to continue Rice talks on Wednesday
The Rice bids rejected so far…
- Arsenal’s first offer – June 15: £80m plus add-ons
- Arsenal’s second offer – June 20: £90m (£75m plus £15m in add-ons)
- Man City’s first offer – June 26: £90m (£80m plus £10m in add-ons)
Sky Sports News has been told the Gunners will have to negotiate the structure of their record-breaking offer for the 24-year-old, with talks continuing on Wednesday.
It is thought West Ham want the guaranteed fee paid in a shorter time frame but the total amount of £105m is not expected to be a problem.
Also See:
The offer smashes Arsenal’s transfer record – the £72m they paid Lille for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
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.
Rice’s potential record-breaking move in numbers
Rice ready to leave West Ham
Rice will leave West Ham in the close season after he captained the club to their first European trophy in 58 years.
Hammers chairman David Sullivan said a gentleman’s agreement means Rice can leave despite a year remaining on his contract, with the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
As speculation mounts over Rice’s future we take a look at his best Premier League moments for West Ham
Rice joined West Ham’s academy from Chelsea as a teenager and has been ever-present since his breakthrough season in 2017-18. He took over the captaincy after Mark Noble’s retirement last year.
The 24-year-old played 50 games in all competitions last season as West Ham finished 14th in the Premier League, before winning the Europa Conference League in Prague.
Rice has played more than 200 games for West Ham and also earned 41 caps for England since his international debut in 2019.
Neville: I would spend £50m to £60m on Rice
Image: Rice captained West Ham to Europa Conference League glory last season
Speaking in March, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said Rice is only worth around £50m to £60m – around half of the current figure being discussed by West Ham and Arsenal.
“I love Declan Rice,” Neville said. “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.
“[Then], 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.”
Follow the summer transfer window with Sky Sports
Who will be on the move this summer ahead of the transfer window closing at 11pm on September 1 in England and midnight in Scotland?
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
Win £250,000 with Super 6!
Another Sunday, another chance to win £250,000 with Super 6. Play for free, entries by 4:30pm.
Sourse: skysports.com
