West Ham make decision on Declan Rice transfer after £90 million bid from Manchester City: Reports
West Ham United have rejected Manchester City's bid for Declan Rice, as Arsenal continue to prepare a third bid for the midfielder. The Hammers are looking for at least £100 million for the Englishman, but both clubs have so far offered £90 million, including add-ons.
As per David Ornstein of The Athletic and Jason Burt of The Telegraph, West Ham swiftly turned down Manchester City's bid. The Cityzens had launched an £80 million offer for the midfielder, with another £10 million in add-ons on Monday, June 26.
The offer matched Arsenal's second offer for Rice, which stood at £75 million with £15 million in add-ons. The second bid from the Gunners was also rejected by the Hammers earlier this month.
West Ham United have admitted that they will not be standing in Rice's way this summer and will allow him to leave for the right bid.
Arsenal or Manchester City - who will Declan Rice choose?
Declan Rice reportedly prefers a move to Arsenal this summer but is open to joining Manchester City if the Gunners do not agree on a fee with West Ham United.
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes the midfielder should opt to join the Cityzens and said on talkSPORT:
"The big question mark for Dec is if Man City do come in late, the choice is over whether to leave London or not. London is his home, it's where he's grown up, it's where his family is, but as a football decision it would be a no-brainer to join the Premier League champions. If you had a choice between City and Arsenal, although Arsenal are on a great trajectory, you'd pick City all day long."
However, former Chelsea star Tony Cascarino wants the Hammers star to join Arsenal. He said on talkSPORT:
"If you look at Arsenal, since Mikel Arteta came in December 2019, that season they got 56 points. He hadn't played a part earlier in the season, the next season they got 61, the next season they got 69. And last year they got 84, so there's a real upward curve at Arsenal. Declan Rice would make the impact that Alisson and Van Dijk made at Liverpool by coming."
He added:
"Man City is an easy choice as they could easily win the double next year and maybe more. That's the thing you've got to really consider, but how big a part do you really play in that if you go to Manchester City?"
Rice was also a target for Bayern Munich and Manchester United, but both clubs are yet to launch a bid as per Sky Sports. The Red Devils are still in the hunt and are readying a bid as per the Telegraph.