Manchester City are exploring a move for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice as he prepares to leave the London Stadium this summer.
Rice is the priority target for Arsenal in this transfer window and the Gunners have had an opening bid for the England international rejected.
West Ham value the 24-year-old at around £100million, but Arsenal's offer fell short of that figure and it has been reported that the structure of the deal also angered the Hammers.
That could open the door for City, who are now considering firming up their own interest in Rice, although they haven't tabled an offer and are still only exploring the player as an option during this window.
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Pep Guardiola has been keen to add a midfielder to his squad this summer and wanted Jude Bellingham, only for the teenager to complete a move to Real Madrid.
There is still uncertainty over the future of captain Ilkay Gundogan, who is out of contract at the end of this month and is the subject of interest from Barcelona, while Bernardo Silva could also seek a move away from the Etihad.
City have shown an interest in Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic but Rice would be a statement signing if they made a move for the player.
He became the first West Ham captain to lift a European trophy since Bobby Moore in 1965 when the club won the Europa Conference League in Prague last week.
That looks set to be his last game for the club and there had been an expectation for a while that he would move on this summer. Chairman David Sullivan said he was "99%" sure Rice would leave the club when speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live last week.
Bayern Munich were also interested but reports in Germany said they have pulled out of the running this week. That looked like giving Arsenal a clear run, but City's potential interest could yet change the picture.
Speaking after the Europa Conference League win last week, Rice said: “At the moment there’s a lot of speculation going on about my future. Obviously there is interest from other clubs but ultimately I still have two years left at West Ham.
“I love this club and I love playing for this club. There hasn’t been anything yet. My focus is playing for West Ham at the moment. I am captain of this club and I can’t speak highly enough of this place. Let’s just see what happens. Let’s wait and see. Who knows?”
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