Arsenal and Manchester City are locked in an intense battle to sign West Ham United captain Declan Rice.
The north Londoners have seen two offers for Rice rejected by the Hammers over the last couple of weeks. An opening offer of £80million plus at least £10million in add-ons was rebuffed last week before another bid, which remained under West Ham's £100million asking price, was turned down on Tuesday.
Now, football.london understands that City have entered the race to sign the England international, with Pep Guardiola's side preparing to make an offer. It remains to be seen who will pay West Ham what they want for the player and who he actually would prefer to move to.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the 24-year-old is open to both sides but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta remains a crucial factor in negotiations. “There is a crucial part of the story to mention", Romano told his YouTube channel.
"At the moment, the player has been very clear from what I understand. He wants to be open and to see what Arsenal and Manchester City will do in the next hours and days.
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“We know one crucial point on this story. Mikel Arteta… Arteta is pushing at the best level to sign Rice and is trying in every single way. Of course, it doesn't depend on him. It depends on the owners and how much they want to spend on the deal.
“But Arteta is trying his best. He's really pushing for Rice to join Arsenal. So Arteta could be crucial. If Rice will be an Arsenal player, trust me, Arteta will be a crucial factor.
“But Manchester City are in it and are in the race. Let's wait and see what happens in terms of bid. But at the moment, in terms of contact. Arsenal’s intention is to bid again, and they remain in the race. So both clubs are still there. Nothing is decided yet.”
