West Ham United have rejected Arsenal’s first offer for captain Declan Rice, DEPREDICT understands, but talks will continue between the two clubs.
The Hammers have been anticipating bids to come in for Rice in the aftermath of their Europa Conference League win over Fiorentina, with their negotiating position clear – an offer worth at least £100m will need to come in for a deal to be agreed.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all interested in signing Rice and chairman David Sullivan recently confirmed that the club had reluctantly agreed to let the 24-year-old go.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been seen as frontrunners for Rice and 90min revealed on Tuesday that the club had intimated a willingness to offer West Ham their asking price. But sources have confirmed that the first bid put forward was worth just £80m with £10m in add-ons, which has swiftly been rejected by West Ham.
Indeed, the Hammers are mystified and surprised by the value of Arsenal’s bid given they’ve made their stance on Rice’s price abundantly clear.
Rice’s contract at West Ham runs until the summer of 2025, with a sale this summer likely to help the club extract full value. He has previously stated his ambition to play in the Champions League and win trophies, though he has now achieved the latter after becoming just the third captain in the club’s history – following in the footsteps of Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds – to hoist silverware above his head.
Talks will continue been West Ham and Arsenal in the coming days but Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are all waiting in the wings to make an offer for Rice.
The Hammers, meanwhile, are working hard in the background to identify replacements for Rice, with Kalvin Phillips, Edson Alvarez and Joao Palhinha three of a number of players shortlisted as potential options.
