The Athletic have reported that Manchester City have decided to pull out of the race to sign West Ham captain Declan Rice, after Arsenal improved their bid to a deal worth up to £105m.
The Hammers were awaiting Manchester City’s response to Arsenal’s improved bid last night, but with the decision to leave the race for Rice, Arsenal will now be confident they can close a deal for the English midfielder.
The 24-year-old has had a lot of interest this summer, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all wanting a piece of Rice. But it seems Arsenal are likely to win the race, after submitting a world record bid on Tuesday, close to West Ham’s valuation for the England International.
Rice would become the most expensive English player of all time, eclipsing the £100m fee Manchester City spent on Jack Grealish in 2021. The fee for Rice is expected to be around £105m, with the structure of £100m plus £5m add ons, however the add ons will have to be realistic to achieve.
Connor Holden | Get Football
