Declan Rice is still understood to favour a move to Arsenal, despite Manchester City making a statement of intent with a bid for the England midfielder.
West Ham captain Rice is expected to leave the London Stadium this summer after leading the team to Europa Conference League glory. The East London side continue to wait for a bidder to meet their £100m+ asking price, though - a sum which could see ¬ Rice match the British record fee set by Jack Grealish's 2021 move to City.
Arsenal have so far seen multiple bids for the 24-year-old knocked back, prompting suggestions they could pursue other targets. Still, despite City being very much in the race, Rice's preference is an Arsenal switch which would allow him to remain in the capital.
According to The Athletic, City's bid is worth an initial £80m plus up to £10m in add-ons. Arsenal's most recent bid was also worth up to £90m, though only £75m of that would have been up front.
Sky Sports reports that Arsenal remains Rice's preferred destination, while adding things could yet change depending on City's movements. The broadcaster has also addressed suggestions the England star - who became a father in 2022 - might not want to uproot his family by leaving London.
Rice's current West Ham deal runs until the summer of 2024, though the club have an option to extend it by a further year. However, owner David Sullivan revealed after the Conference League final that the skipper had rejected offers of big-money contract extensions from the club.,
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Rice won his 42nd and 43rd England caps in the team's recent Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Malta and North Macedonia. He started both games, and was withdrawn at the same time as hat-trick hero Bukayo Saka in the latter game after the Arsenal star scored his first career treble.
The West Ham midfielder was also part of Gareth Southgate's squad for the 2022 World Cup, where he started all five games. It was there that he spoke about wanting to play Champions League football, having got his first taste of European club competition with the Hammers.
“One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” he told reporters in December. “For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that.
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
The closest West Ham got to Champions League qualification was in 2022, losing in the Europa League semi-finals when the winners of that competition had a place at Europe's top table at stake. Their Conference League victory means they will be back in the Europa League next term, but Arsenal and Manchester City will both be able to offer Champions League footballl.
