Arsenal have made a third bid of £105m for West Ham captain Declan Rice. The contract has an initial payment of £100 million plus performance-based add-ons of £5 million. Arsenal’s 2019 transfer record of £72 million for Nicolas Pepe from Lille is shattered by the bid. This summer, Rice has been the main target for Arsenal, and the player prefers to join the Gunners. Manchester City, the defending Premier League winner, had offered £80 million upfront plus an additional £10 million for the England midfielder, but that offer fell short of West Ham’s asking price. This month, after their original offer, rumored to be worth £80m with add-ons, was also turned down, Arsenal submitted a club-record £90m proposal that included a £75m cost and £15m in add-ons for Declan Rice.
Rice is still valued at £120 million by West Ham, although the club reportedly would take £100 million plus a player. West Ham United is rumored to want the guaranteed amount paid in a hurry. There shouldn’t be a problem with the entire sum of £105 million. After leading West Ham to their first European championship in 58 years, Rice will depart the club during the off-season. According to Hammers chairman David Sullivan, Rice may depart even though his contract has a year still to run, with the option to extend it by an additional 12 months.
As a youth, Rice transferred from Chelsea to West Ham’s academy, where he has been a constant since his breakout campaign in 2017–18. After Mark Noble retired last year, he became the captaincy. While West Ham ended 14th in the Premier League, the 24-year-old played 50 games across all competitions before taking home the Europa Conference League title in Prague. Since making his international debut in 2019, Rice has played more than 200 games for West Ham and amassed 41 caps for England.
“Declan Rice has my heart. Declan obviously understands the position, but when I consider elite holding midfielders and players of that caliber, you’re classifying him as more of a destroyer because he doesn’t score or assist enough goals,” Gary Neville said. “You must then be someone who, in my opinion, is very skilled at handling the ball, coordinating plays, and understanding the nuances of obtaining the ball from the back four.”
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