The future of West Ham United captain Declan Rice remains uncertain, with Arsenal and Manchester City locked in an intense transfer battle.
The Gunners have seen two offers for Rice rejected by the Hammers this month. An opening bid of £80million plus at least £10million in add-ons was turned down last week before another offer, which remained below the £100million asking price set by David Moyes' side, was rebuffed on Tuesday.
Now, The Daily Mail have reported some behind-the-scenes information from the Rice saga, claiming that the 24-year-old told Bayern Munich that he would prefer a move to the Gunners when they made an approach earlier this month. It is said that the Hammers skipper had been convinced by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who persuaded him that he was the perfect man to lead their side to become Premier League champions sooner rather than later.
Arteta explained to Rice what role he would play, how often he would play and that he would likely captain the club one day in the future, But this was before Manchester City seriously entered the equation.
football.london understands that City have now entered the race to sign the England international, with Pep Guardiola's side preparing to make an offer whilst Arsenal also ready a third bid. That leaves the two Premier League giants in a straight shootout for the 24-year-old, who is open to either team, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: "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.
