“I don’t think Manchester City want to sign Declan Rice” - Ex-England international makes bizarre claim on Arsenal target
Former England Women's forward Eni Aluko has said that Manchester City aren't interested in signing Arsenal target Declan Rice.
Aluko told talkSPORT that the Gunners areusing Mikel Arteta's prior connection with Pep Guardiola in their bid for Rice. She alluded to her role as a sporting director:
"As a sporting director, I used to do this a lot. So I used to call up a club, big club, and say, right, can you put in a bid in? And that would get my owner to basically put a higher bid in. It’s a bit like an auction, isn’t it?"
Aluko explained why she doesn't think Manchester City's interest in Rice is genuine:
"I don’t think Manchester City actually want to sign Declan Rice. I think what’s going on here is Arteta’s picked up the phone to Pep, said, Listen, you know, Arsenal are going to do the sort of increment mental bid approach. If you put a higher bid in, that will push my owner to … I think there’s a bit of that going on here."
TalkSPORT presenter Laura Woods then asked Aluko whether that was being done to speed up Rice's deal. She responded:
"Not for speed. But to get the deal done, because West Ham obviously want a certain valuation. I think I read £120m."
Aluko's claim is a strange one, as Arsenal and Manchester City went to war in the Premier League title race last season. The video has since been deleted by the radio station's Twitter account but has been met with backlash from fans.
City have reportedly had a £90 million bid for the West Ham United captain rejected, per the aforementioned source. The Hammers are holding out for £100 million for the English international who has a year left in his contract.
Arteta's side have already had two bids for Rice rejected, with their latest one standing at £75 million plus £15 million in add-ons. Meanwhile, Manchester City offered £80 million including £10 million in add-ons. The race for Rice looks set to continue with Arsenal expected to make a fresh bid.
Both sides are yet to meet West Ham's demands for the English midfielder who is eyeing a move to a UEFA Champions League club this summer. Rice captained the Hammers to UEFA Europa Conference League glory last season, scoring five goals and providing four assists in 50 games across competitions.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admits anguish over losing title race to Manchester City
Arsenal missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City by five points. The Gunners had held an eight-point lead over Guardiola's men at the start of the year but faltered in the closing weeks.
Arteta has reflected on the disappointment of falling short in the title race. He admits that it hurt but that he's proud of what his young team accomplished. The Spaniard said (via The Telegraph):
“To this day, it still hurts me deeply, not having won the Premier (League) after spending 10 months fighting with City. But that’s the sport. That said, what has been achieved with such a young team is worthwhile. That is clear to me too.”
The north Londoners will take comfort from their title challenge given that they were expected to only mount a top-four challenge by many. Arteta's side went toe-to-toe with a Manchester City side that eventually won the continental treble.