Arsenal will make an improved offer for Declan Rice that will come close to matching West Ham’s £100m valuation of the midfielder.
West Ham turned down Arsenal’s first bid of £80m plus add-ons for Rice and are expecting Manchester City to enter the running. But the 24-year-old remains set on joining Mikel Arteta’s side and the expectation is that he will move to the Emirates Stadium.
West Ham are holding out for a record fee for Rice and intend to reject bids under £100m, as they want Arsenal to hit that figure and include add-ons. Arsenal’s first proposal was spread over a number of years and contained add-ons that West Ham regarded as unrealistic. West Ham would prefer fewer instalments because it would boost their financial position. There is a feeling at the club that Arsenal’s second proposal will still contain add-ons that are unlikely to be triggered.
West Ham’s hand would be strengthened by a bidding war, with a source predicting that an offer from City would “blow Arsenal out of the water”. Rice spoke to Pep Guardiola before the end of the season and the prospect of City entering the race could complicate matters for Arteta.
The expectation had been that Rodri’s form meant the champions did not need to spend big on a defensive midfielder. City are close to signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, though they would need further reinforcements in midfield if they lose Ilkay Gündogan on a free transfer and Bernardo Silva to Paris Saint-Germain. There have been suggestions City could offer Kalvin Phillips to West Ham as part of a deal for Rice.
Despite the growing tension between Arsenal and West Ham, the likelihood is that Rice will make the switch. He admires Arteta’s style of football and there will be no issue over personal terms. Another factor is that Rice, who became a father last year, would prefer to stay in London and be close to his family. He also knows that he would be a regular starter at Arsenal, whereas the competition for places at City would be much fiercer.
Ultimately there is confidence that negotiations will end with Arsenal paying a fee that could top £100m once add-ons are taken into account. An indication of their confidence in striking a deal with West Ham is that they are believed to have withdrawn their interest in the Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo, who is a key target for Chelsea. Arsenal are also trying to sign the Chelsea forward Kai Havertz for £60m.
Rice has also been targeted by Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Newcastle. However Bayern have withdrawn after concluding that there is little chance of Rice moving to Germany.
West Ham’s co-owner David Sullivan admitted last week that Rice was going to leave. Rice has a year on his contract, with the option of an extra year, and has no intention of signing an extension. He helped West Ham win the Europa Conference League last week but is determined to compete at a higher level and play in the Champions League.
West Ham will look to replace Rice with two midfielders, with Ajax’s Edson Álvarez, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and Fulham’s João Palhinha on their radar.
West Ham have also held talks over signing Leicester’s Harvey Barnes but face competition from Aston Villa, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Mark Warburton has left David Moyes’s backroom staff a year after joining. There has been no fallout but both felt a split was the right decision. Warburton’s departure will leave Moyes needing to add to his coaching team, which comprises Billy McKinlay, Kevin Nolan, Xavi Valero and Paul Nevin. Warburton came in after Moyes lost two of his most trusted figures, Stuart Pearce and Alan Irvine.
West Ham are also weighing up whether to hire Tim Steidten as their new technical director. Steidten is the leading candidate but the German is not guaranteed to land the job. The 44-year-old, who left Bayer Leverkusen in March, has held at least two rounds of talks with Moyes.
