West Ham have rejected a second bid from Arsenal for Declan Rice worth £90m. Arsenal offered £75m plus £15m in add-ons which West Ham believe will be difficult to achieve and have been told it will take a minimum of £100m to do a deal.
Arsenal had an initial £80m offer rejected last week and want to secure Rice quickly. They remain confident of signing the England midfielder but Manchester City are monitoring the situation as they await a decision from Ilkay Gündogan on whether he will extend his stay. West Ham expect City to enter the race this week.
Part of Arsenal’s approach is down to being told initially that £80m would be enough to sign Rice. However, the price has risen dramatically since West Ham’s triumph in the Europa Conference League and that has caused a delay.
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West Ham will look to replace Rice with at least two midfielders and, along with targeting Fulham’s João Palhinha, there is interest in Bristol City’s Alex Scott. The 19-year-old is regarded as one of the best young players in the Championship and City are hoping to receive £25m. West Ham have held talks over moving for Scott and are weighing up whether to bid.
Arsenal are also interested in Southampton’s midfielder Roméo Lavia but have not yet made a bid for the Belgium international and that is not tied to the outcome of their pursuit of Rice. They are in talks with Southampton and the 19-year-old’s representatives.
Mikel Arteta also wants to strengthen in defence and has made Ajax’s Jurriën Timber his top target. RB Leipzig’s Mohamed Simakan is another on Arsenal’s list for that position.
