A sense of crisis did not engulf the Emirates Stadium when it became apparent that Manchester City had more than a fleeting interest in Declan Rice. Arsenal were altogether more sanguine than many of their supporters were in social media, a reflection of the simple reality of bidding for one of the Premier League's best midfielders, a possible England captain of the future who has won as much praise for his attitude as his technical qualities. The chances of signing a player of Rice's ilk without facing any competition were slim indeed.
On Monday night City formally entered the race after several days of dialogue with West Ham. An offer of £80 million with a further £10 million in add ons got the same response as Arsenal's second bid (£75 million with a possible further £15 million), a swift rejection from the London Stadium hierarchy, who will be delighted to see their plan coming together. As CBS Sports revealed on June 7, West Ham intended to keep negotiations live for as long as possible in the hope of drawing rival suitors into the fray.
Their patience has been rewarded with the emergence of the richest club in world football as a rival for the affections of Rice, who has long been keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium. If any club can test his resolve it would be the serial champions of England; few players turn down the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, least of all midfielders. There are things that even a club backed by Abu Dhabi's wealth cannot offer Rice, who has a young family and is keen to stay put in London, while there are also questions over where exactly the West Ham captain would fit into a midfield that has lost Ilkay Gundogan, but is gaining Mateo Kovacic.
Ultimately when it comes to the player, Arsenal have put in leg work over several months, long before CBS Sports first revealed in January that the 24 year old was enamored by the prospect of moving from the east of London to the north. Arsenal will make a third bid and there remains confidence that the work done to convince Rice of the project would pay dividends if they can reach an agreement with his club.
The challenge for the Gunners could well be the club to club negotiations. Sources close to West Ham indicate that the east Londoners do not have a set asking price per se -- though they evidently consider £100 million to be the floor for seriously considering an offer -- but are simply looking to extract the maximum value from the club's most prized asset. In short, it is feasible that Arsenal could hit the £100 million mark only for West Ham to shop that offer to City, challenging them to gazump the deal.
That they can do. City topped the most recent Deloitte Football Money League with revenue of £619 million, their footballing success in 2022-23 will have seen them bring in £95 million in Champions League revenue as well as a purse for winning the Premier League that is estimated to be worth £170 million. How City got to the pinnacle of football finances is a matter of ongoing investigation but one thing is indisputable, they have the funds this summer to eclipse anyone else. It need not even be the figures in which City shade Arsenal.
A key aspect of negotiations has been West Ham's desire to get most if not all of the main fee paid in two years, the Gunners would look to structure the deal over four or five, a perfectly normal approach for such sizeable sums. Much of the sizeable expenditure Arsenal committed to in the summers of 2021 and 2022 still needs to come off the books, adding a few sizeable instalments for Rice puts pressure on the finances as Mikel Arteta tries to build a squad with the depth in multiple positions to be a Premier League contender.
Historically, City do not go beyond what they view as a fair price for a player and as recently as last summer allowed a Premier League rival a free run at a player they really needed, opting not to sign a left back for Guardiola rather than go to the £62 million Chelsea paid for Marc Cucurella. That may hold true again this summer, that Arsenal ultimately hit a price point where their rivals at the Etihad Stadium opt to step back though the temptation will surely remain strong to rob last season's greatest domestic rival of the player they want above all else.
The last thing Arsenal will want is another cruel reminder of the disparity between them and Manchester City having just lived through that in a daily basis during the spring. As was the case in the title race, Arteta's side have done so much right to lay the ground work for what may well be the biggest prize of the non-footballing months. The problem once more is that the juggernaut ahead of them has capabilities they don't.
FAQs
Manchester City have made a bid worth £90m for West Ham United captain Declan Rice. Having beaten Arsenal to last season's Premier League title, Manchester City are now hoping to pip the Gunners to Rice's signature. The offer breaks down as £80m up front plus £10m in add-ons.
How much did Arsenal bid for Declan Rice? ›
The Premier League runners-up agreed a fee for Rice worth £100 million ($131m) plus £5m ($6.5m) in add-ons, sources told ESPN. The amount easily eclipses Arsenal's previous record fee -- the £72m paid to sign Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019.
Why did Rice leave West Ham? ›
The fact is that the 24‑year‑old had to leave for the sake of his career. Rice joined West Ham when he was 14 and still loves the club but it was time to move on. Nobody can begrudge his desire to compete for major honours and play in the Champions League every season. It was never going to happen at West Ham.
Who tried to buy Declan Rice? ›
Arteta's side will play in next season's Champions League after finishing runners-up to Premier League champions Manchester City, who had a £90m offer turned down for Rice before Arsenal succeeded with their third bid for him.
Does Declan Rice want to play for Arsenal? ›
And the 25-year-old thinks that shows he made the right decision in opting for the Emirates, instead of the Etihad. "This project seemed more exciting and that's why I chose to come to Arsenal," he told The Athletic.
Who was the Arsenal 40 million and 1 pound bid? ›
It's been 11 years since Arsenal offered £40,000,001 to Liverpool to activate Luis Suarez's £40m release clause 👀💰 It wasn't a release clause, Liverpool had to listen to offers if it were above 40 mil. Liverpool listened and promptly rejected. Souvik Guha Pretty sure it was so Arsenal could sound out the player.
Who did Arsenal sell for $25 million? ›
Overmars cost £25 million, making him the most expensive player in Dutch football history.
Do West Ham get money if Rice wins the league? ›
It is thought he has to play 60 per cent of Arsenal's games. West Ham do not receive any extras should Arsenal win a trophy, such as finally being crowned Premier League champions, and weighted the deal heavily in favour of a guaranteed £100 million.
How old was Declan Rice when he joined West Ham? ›
His paternal grandparents were from Douglas, County Cork, in Ireland. He joined the academy of Chelsea in 2006, as a seven-year-old. In 2013, after his release at age 14, he joined the academy of West Ham United after a trial period in the spring.
Who did West Ham buy with Rice money? ›
Which begs the question: would Hammers fans swap the three major summer signings funded by the Rice sale – namely Edson Alvarez, Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse – to bring the England international back to the club?
Going off his current salary, that equates to £12.4m a year, while it has been estimated elsewhere that his net worth is a staggering £26 million.
Was Rice a good signing? ›
A large reason why the Gunners were able to push City for so long was Declan Rice. Signed in the summer for a club record fee, Rice hit the ground running and put in top performance after top performance to the point where, for some, he's Arsenal's Player of the Year.
Why didn't Declan Rice go to Man City? ›
WHAT RICE SAID. "This project seemed more exciting and that's why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we're on to big things here," Rice explained. On the rivalry that developed with Rodri now that they have remained opponents instead of team-mates, he added: "I enjoy it. We're different players, I feel.
Why did Declan leave West Ham? ›
We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future. “However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.”
Why did Rice choose Arsenal over City? ›
But the England international says the Gunners "seemed more exciting". Declan Rice has revealed he chose to join Arsenal last summer instead of Manchester City, because the Gunners "seemed more exciting". The England international made the switch from West Ham United in a deal worth over £100 million last summer.
Is Declan Rice a good passer? ›
Rice is a good passer, but not quite at the level of someone like Jorginho. That is no slight. Furthermore, asking Rice to play as the holding pivot inhibits his impact in other areas. Rice, when unshackled, is a force of nature.
How much did Chelsea bid for Declan Rice? ›
Revealed: Why Chelsea did not sign £105m Declan Rice ahead of Arsenal before going on to pay £115m for Moises Caicedo. Chelsea reportedly gave Arsenal a free run at £105 million ($128m) Declan Rice as they considered that transfer fee to include “an English premium”.
How much does Declan Rice get paid at Arsenal? ›
A giant pay rise
Rice turned down a new contract reportedly worth around £100,000 per week to stay at West Ham and is now set to earn £250,000 per week at Arsenal. That will see him vastly increase his annual salary from around £3m to £13m, and that is before endorsem*nts and other earnings.
How much will Declan Rice sell for? ›
Arsenal confirm Declan Rice signing from West Ham in £105m deal.
