Arsenal have submitted a club record transfer offer for West Ham United captain Declan Rice, football.london understands.
The Gunners had already seen two bids for Rice rejected by David Moyes’s side this month, the most recent of which was £75million with an additional £15million in add-ons. Manchester City then decided to enter the race to sign the England international, sending an offer of £80million plus £10million add-ons with a more favourable payment structure.
Still, the Hammers held firm, also rebuffing the Premier League champions as they hold out for a fee in excess of £100million. Now, Arsenal have gone over the nine-figure mark, lodging a third bid worth £100million plus £5million in add-ons, football.london understands.
Rice had been identified as the north London outfit’s priority target going into the window and Mikel Arteta will be desperate to land his man, especially over title rivals City. But Arteta refused to speak about a potential move when quizzed in a recent interview with Spanish outlet Marca
“I can't talk about players who are not in the club. I prefer not to say anything", was his coy response.
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: £105m Declan Rice bid, Havertz confirmation, Romeo Lavia offer
Rice enjoyed a superb 2022/23 campaign individually, leading the Premier League last season when it comes to interceptions, registering 63, as per fbref. The 24-year-old also recovered the ball more times than any other player in the English top-flight with 334.
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