Arsenal's pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has dominated headlines during the first few weeks of the summer transfer window.
Mikel Arteta's side saw two bids for their priority target rejected by the Hammers, the most recent of which was worth £75million, with an additional £15million in add-ons. Premier League champions Manchester City then entered the fray on Monday evening with an offer of their own.
football.london understands the Citizens' offer was £80million guaranteed with an additional £10million in add-ons, one that was also rebuffed by West Ham. City's offer included more money upfront compared to the Gunners' whilst also paying in fewer instalments.
Their add-ons were also seen as more achievable, which has been key for the east London outfit. Then on Tuesday evening, Arsenal upped the stakes massively, submitting a club record offer worth £100million plus an additional £5million in add-ons, football.london understands.
West Ham and Arsenal plan to enter more negotiations today as they look to reach an agreement over the structure of the move, football.london understands. West Ham want more of the overall guaranteed fee paid in a shorter amount of time than Arsenal have initially proposed, it is believed a compromise with those terms could see an agreement reached.
When Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was asked about his side's pursuit of Rice, he refused to get drawn into talking about the 24-year-old specifically.
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“I can't talk about players who are not in the club. I prefer not to say anything", Arteta told Spanish outlet Marca when asked about the tough-tackling midfielder.
What do you make of Declan Rice's value?
