Manchester City have seen their bid for West Ham United captain Declan Rice, worth a potential £90 million, rejected, according to a report.
The Guardian newspaper reported Tuesday that the Premier League champions' offer of £80m plus a potential £10m in add-ons for the 24-year-old midfielder had been turned down by the Hammers.
The report added that Arsenal, who have already had two bids for Rice rejected by West Ham, are now preparing a third offer to land their primary transfer target.
The Gunners, who finished second to City in the recently concluded 2022/23 Premier League season, were first to tempt West Ham with a £90m offer. It now seems any club wanting to prize Rice away from the London Stadium will have to at least match West Ham's valuation of £100m.
On Monday, several UK publications including The Athletic and Sky Sports reported that City had lodged a formal offer for Rice, while Football Insider claimed Manchester United had also entered the fray by offering defender Harry Maguire in a player swap.
The Hammers board values Rice at £100m and appears will not countenance selling their star player for anything less. It remains to be seen whether City will be prepared to enter into a bidding war for the highly rated England international.
City's resolve to sign Rice means they will almost certainly have to match their record outlay for a player – Jack Grealish signed from Aston Villa in August 2021 for £100m – or break their own transfer record.
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Captain Declan Rice after West Ham United's 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final at Eden Arena in Prague on June 7, 2023. Getty -
West Ham captain Declan Rice with his winner's medal. EPA -
West Ham skipper Declan Rice lifts the Europa Conference League trophy as he celebrates with teammates. Getty -
West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates with the trophy. EPA / -
Jarrod Bowen scores West Ham's winner. Getty -
West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, left, celebrates after scoring the winning goal. AP -
West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates his winner with teammates. Reuters -
Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura scores his side's equaliser against West Ham. AP -
Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura, left, celebrates after scoring their first goal. PA -
Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez and Sofyan Amrabat celebrate their equalising goal scored by Giacomo Bonaventura. Reuters -
Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring his side's first goal. AP -
West Ham's Said Benrahma scores the opening goal from the penalty spot. PA -
West Ham's Said Benrahma scores the first goal. AP -
West Ham's Said Benrahma celebrates scoring the opening goal. PA -
West Ham's Said Benrahma celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring his side's opener from the penalty spot. AP -
Fiorentina's Luka Jovic heads the ball into the West Ham net but it was ruled out for offside by VAR. PA -
Fiorentina's Luka Jovic heads the ball into the West Ham net before it was disallowed for offside. AP -
Fiorentina's Luka Jovic scores a goal that was later disallowed as West Ham United's Alphonse Areola attempts to save. Reuters -
Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi receives treatment for a cut caused by an object thrown from the crowd as West Ham's Declan Rice checks he is OK. PA -
Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi speaks to referee Carlos Del Cerro with his head bandaged after he was hit by an object thrown by a West Ham fan. Reuters -
Luka Jovic of Fiorentina receives medical treatment after he was injured. EPA -
West Ham's Nayef Aguerd, left, and Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez battle. Reuters -
Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano speaks to Sofyan Amrabat. AP
Rice has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Europe over the past two seasons and led West Ham to their first trophy in 43 years this month with victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final.
West Ham chairman David Sullivan said a gentleman's agreement means Rice can leave the London Stadium despite a year remaining on his contract with the option to extend it by a further 12 months.
Rice joined West Ham's academy from Chelsea as a teenager and has been ever-present since his breakthrough season in 2017/18. He took over the captaincy after Mark Noble's retirement last year.
Following Ilkay Gundogan's departure for Barcelona, City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to reinforce his midfield and is on the brink of signing Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for £30m.
City enjoyed the best season in the club's history in 2022/23, becoming only the second English club to win the league, FA Cup and Champions League in the same season.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a recent interview that City "won't stand still" as they look to emulate last season's achievements, and adding Rice to an already world-class squad would only back up that claim.
Man City 2022/23 ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY 2022-23 SEASON RATINGS: Ederson -7. No Golden Glove this year but remains vital to the way City build from the back. Getty -
Stefan Ortega - 7. Enjoyed great success in FA Cup conceding just a single goal in six matches. EPA -
Kyle Walker -7. Ended the season at the top of his form after a dip earlier in the campaign. Reuters -
Rico Lewis - 6. Teenager can be proud of first season at top level. Made 14 appearances and a big impression. PA -
John Stones - 9. Season of his life playing as a central defender, right back and midfielder. Class. Hard to fault. AFP -
Ruben Dias - 8. Missed a chunk of the season but was back to commanding best on the run in. Getty -
Aymeric Laporte - 5. Couldn’t force his way into the starting eleven often enough but dependable. Getty -
Manuel Akanji - 7.5. Turned out to be a bargain buy. His experience and class shone through in tough moments. Getty -
Nathan Ake - 8. Most improved player this season. Key to build up play down the left and reliable in the middle. Getty -
Joao Cancelo - 4. Never reached his brilliant best and left for Bayern Munich on loan mid-season. Future up in air. Getty -
Sergio Gomez - 5. Some glimpses of class going forward but like others before him found it hard in first season under Pep. Getty -
Rodri - 9. Probably the best holding midfielder in the world at present. Took his game to new heights. Getty -
Kalvin Phillips - 5. Did little wrong but struggled to make an impact with Rodri in such commanding form ahead of him. Getty -
Bernardo Silva - 7. If this was his last season at City, he went out in style. The chief architect of Real Madrid’s UCL exit. Getty -
Ilkay Gundogan - 9. The bigger the occasion the better he played. Captain was pivotal to all the big moments in the campaign. AFP -
Kevin De Bruyne - 8. Maintained his ridiculously high standards as one of the top playmakers the game has ever seen. EPA -
Phil Foden - 6.5. Stop-start season thanks to injuries but his class shone through when he got a run. Getty -
Riyad Mahrez - 6. His close control remains mesmerising and his goals played a vital part. EPA -
Jack Grealish - 8. Vying with Ake for the biggest leap of improvement. Fully earned Pep’s trust. PA -
Cole Palmer - 5. Just didn’t happen for the homegrown youngster who still has bags of potential and time on his side. Reuters -
Julian Alvarez - 7. Overshadowed at City by Haaland’s exploits but a fine season for the World Cup winner. Getty -
Erling Haaland - 9.5. Would have been 10 but Pep tends to improve players in their second season! Simply a goal-machine. PA -
Pep Guardiola - 9. Re-invented his tactics masterfully and turned the team into a winning machine with an incredible mentality. Getty
