According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Arsenal have made an opening offer to West Ham over the signing of Declan Rice.
However, Jacob Steinberg has reported that this bid has been turned down by The Hammers.
The England international has been of interest to the North London club over several weeks as they look to reinforce their midfield this summer, with previous reports suggesting that they were set to make a £92m bid for the 24-year-old.
Despite this, Mikel Arteta’s side’s are set to face significant competition from multiple clubs. Whilst Chelsea have previously explored the signing, Manchester United have more recently shown their willingness to purchase the England international. Meanwhile, fresh reports from Ornstein detail that treble winners Manchester City are now actively exploring their own approach for the midfielder, making the acquisition even more difficult for The Gunners.
Furthermore, following their recent Europa Conference League triumph, West ham chairman David Sullivan recently confirmed that the club’s captain would be sold this summer, with Sky Sports understanding that The Hammers would want £120m to let him depart.
Therefore, Steinberg’s reports that Arsenal’s opening offer has been rejected by the Claret and Blues suggest that that their bid fail to match this price.
Travis Levison | Get Football
