Manchester City is preparing an offer for West Ham United center midfielder Declan Rice, sources revealed on Thursday. This comes as Arsenal looks to sign the player after their first two bids were rejected.
Should Man City decide to pounce on Rice this summer, they will be required to submit a largescale bid, considering that Arsenal’s latest bid of £75 million and a further £15 million in add-ons was rejected.
It is believed that City’s late entry to the race for Rice’s signature was due to the club deciding to hear about the future of captain Ilkay Gundogan. With Gundogan now headed to FC Barcelona, City is looking at Rice as his replacement.
With West Ham currently valuing Rice at £100 million, Arsenal is expected to return to them with a third offer. Now that Man City has entered the fray, however, the Hammers may look to increase their asking price.
West Ham manager David Moyes has signaled his interest in City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who spent the majority of his debut season at the club on the bench. It is believed that Moyes would make a move for him should Rice join City.
