Arsenal Will ‘Quickly’ Submit Second Offer For West Ham United Midfielder Declan Rice
Arsenal are still confident of signing West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice despite their first offer being rejected, journalist Dean Jones has told GIVEMESPORT.
The England international is set to leave West Ham.
West Ham rejected a bid of £90m from Arsenal for Rice.
The report adds, however, that Manchester City are also considering entering the race, with West Ham hoping to receive over £100m for their captain.
It appears to be more of a case of when Rice will leave the London Stadium, rather than if, after chairman David Sullivan revealed on talkSPORT that we probably won’t see him in a Hammers shirt again.
He said: “I think it has to be. We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going. You can’t ask for a man who has committed more to us this season.”
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that he expects this week to be crucial for Arsenal in the race to secure his signature.
Now, Jones has spoken about what we can expect next after Arsenal saw their opening bid rejected.
What has Jones said about Rice?
Jones has suggested that he expects Arsenal to come back in with a second offer ‘pretty quickly’.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “It probably feels like a bit of a setback on the surface that a first bid has been rejected, but it’s pretty normal that this happens, especially in such a high-profile transfer.
“I’m sure Arsenal fans are panicking a little bit, but I’m told that a second bid is likely to follow pretty quickly. I think there’s still confidence that Declan Rice will become an Arsenal player.”
Why are Arsenal pushing so hard for Rice?
The England international has been in sensational form for both club and country for many years now.
During the World Cup hosted in Qatar in 2022, Rice averaged 2.2 interceptions and 1.2 tackles per game, whilst also completing 94% of his passes, as per Sofascore.
His performances in the Premier League with West Ham have also been impressive, averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.01, higher than the rest of his teammates.
If the Gunners want to push Manchester City for the Premier League title next season, then players such as Rice will certainly be necessary.
However, they still need to fend off competition from the current champions of England’s top flight.
