Arsenal’s quest to reinforce their midfield has taken an interesting turn as they submitted an enhanced offer of £90m for West Ham’s captain, Declan Rice. Unfortunately for the Gunners, their proposal was turned down by West Ham, who have placed a £120m price tag on Rice.
This bid, featuring £75m guaranteed and £15m in add-ons, would have surpassed Arsenal’s previous record-breaking fee of £72m paid for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
To detail the terms of Arsenal’s bid, they planned to disburse the initial amount over a span of four years, with the add-ons distributed over five years upon meeting specific conditions.
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While negotiations persist between the two clubs, West Ham has indicated a willingness to consider a lower fee if a player is included in the deal. Despite the rejection, Arsenal remains optimistic about achieving a favorable outcome.
The competition for Rice’s signature has escalated with the interest of Manchester City and Manchester United, both vying for the 24-year-old midfielder.
Rice, who took over the captaincy from Mark Noble at the start of the previous season, has been a loyal player for West Ham throughout his professional career.
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Despite securing Jorginho from Chelsea during the January transfer window, Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, is determined to strengthen the midfield.
Arteta heavily relied on Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka, and Martin Odegaard in the midfield last season. In their pursuit of reinforcements, Arsenal previously made unsuccessful bids for Brighton’s Moises Caicedo.
In addition to their pursuit of Rice, Arsenal is engaged in discussions with Ajax concerning the acquisition of defender Jurrien Timber. The talks have been described as “very positive,” with all parties displaying a willingness to finalize the deal.
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Timber, who has two years remaining on his contract, holds an approximate value of €50m (£42.8m). Arsenal has been closely monitoring Timber’s progress and aims to intensify competition in their defensive positions.
Furthermore, Arsenal is actively working on deals for both Rice and Chelsea forward Kai Havertz. All three players have shown interest and enthusiasm regarding a potential move to Arsenal.
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