Arsenal supposedly had the Declan Rice deal on the verge, but chose to lowball West Ham United and now their move backfired. as the hesitancy opened the door for both Manchester clubs to now enter the race.
According to a report in Claret and Hugh yesterday, Manchester City told the Hammers that they’re keen on signing the 24-year-old. This provides even more leverage to the east London club, as their drive their price up on Arsenal.
Man City, Arsenal and Man Utd are all keen on West Ham’s Declan Rice, with a 3-way bidding war possibly on the horizon? pic.twitter.com/F5bjp1JYv9
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 22, 2023
A report in West Ham Zone, earlier today, makes it sound like the Irons star man is inevitably headed to The Emirates, but we’ll see, as this transfer saga is far from over. The embedded tweet above, via Sky Sports News, breaks it all down. Basically, the Declan Rice transfer will see all sorts of dominoes fall in its wake. Some already have.
Manchester City replaced Ilkay Gundogan with Mateo Kovacic.
???| JUST IN: #mufc are expected to make an offer for Declan Rice soon. [@ExWHUEmployee] pic.twitter.com/w9f1zVyqIA
— centredevils. (@centredevils) June 22, 2023
Meanwhile Luke Shaw is using England national team camp, staged at United’s Carrington training complex, to recruit Rice; Harry Kane too. How does Rice like the shape of the City midfield now? Does he slot in well there?
All the while United have jumped into the fray too! So who will ultimately sign the English midfield maestro? The club offering the best terms.
And by terms, we mean how much of the money is up front, versus over installments, how long the period will be to pay the full amount, how the add-ons will work, whose add-ons are more achievable and more etc.
Arsenal was always going to come back with another offer, but now it will be have to be closer to the £100m mark, if not over it. West Ham still reportedly want to reach £105m, and of course, north of that if possible.
It’s good to be Declan Rice right now, he has a lot of options. To paraphrase that Jack Harrow rap song.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.