City walk away from Rice deal
Manchester City are walking away from a move for Declan Rice as they are not prepared to match Arsenal's latest offer for the England star.
City submitted a bid of £90m this week after Arsenal saw two bids rejected for the West Ham captain, prompting fears from North London that the Premier League champions could steal one of their key transfer targets. That prompted a third bid from Arsenal late on Tuesday of £105m to try and seal the deal.
West Ham are in negotiations with Arsenal over the structure of the fee but had left the door open for City to come in with another bid of their own to prolong the auction. However, the Blues are not prepared to pay that money for Rice and are comfortable walking away from the deal.
It marks the second England international City have missed out on this summer, after Jude Bellingham chose to sign for Real Madrid. The club will assess their position in the market, but are comfortable in their familiar stance that sees them not pay over their valuations for players.
Read more on the Rice situation here
Academy incoming
Reading academy striker Luca Fletcher has said farewell to his club ahead of a move to City, the League One side confirmed.
The 16-year-old England youth international is set to join the City academy, according to his Royals youth coach, having reportedly turned down a contract offer at the Madejski Stadium. Reading were relegated from the Championship last season, although Fletcher was making his name at youth level rather than playing in their unsuccessful relegation battle.
Royals Academy Manager Michael Gilkes confirmed that City offered a 'significant sum' for Fletcher, and that the striker will move to the City Football Academy, while Fletcher thanked his youth coaches for their role in the first 'chapter' of his career.
