So, Manchester City have made their move to sign Declan Rice right under Arsenal's nose.
Interest in the England international from the Premier League champions dates back to before the summer transfer window opened and it finally morphed into a formal offer of £80 million guaranteed with £10m in add-ons which football.london understands has already been rejected by West Ham United.
This marks the third bid that the Hammers have rejected for their captain within the past fortnight. Of course, the previous two have come from the Gunners with the 24-year-old being identified as Mikel Arteta's priority signing this summer in an attempt to bolster his midfield options ahead of the new season.