West Ham United confident Premier League side will bid more than Arsenal's £90m offer for Declan Rice - Reports
Arsenal are readying a £90 million offer for Declan Rice, but West Ham United believe Manchester United will meet their asking price of £120 million, according to The Daily Mail.
Rice, 24, has long been identified as the Gunners' priority target for the summer transfer window. The Times claimed in January that Mikel Arteta's side are confident about signing the midfielder despite competition from Premier League rivals.
As the season draws to a close, Arsenal are set to step up their interest in the England international. According to the aforementioned source, they're prepared to pay West Ham around £90 million in structured payments.
The North London giants seem to believe £90 million is a fair price for a player whose contract runs out next year. However, the Irons refuse to budge from their £120 million valuation of Rice, as per the report.
Furthermore, West Ham are reportedly confident that Manchester United would be willing to meet their asking price. That comes after it emerged that the Red Devils are plotting a late move to sign Rice.
It now remains to be seen if the Old Trafford outfit can steal a march on Arsenal in the race to sign Rice. The Gunners could also agree to increase their offer for the London-born defensive midfielder.
Apart from Arsenal and Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have also been linked with a move for Rice. West Ham will be delighted if the race for the Englishman turned into a four-way bidding war.
Rice is not the only player the Gunners and Red Devils are competing for this summer. The Premier League giants are also in the mix for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, who the Blues will sell if he does not extend his contract beyond 2024. The Athletic claimed in midweek that the player is leaning towards a move to Old Trafford.
How did Arsenal target Declan Rice fare in his last game for West Ham?
Declan Rice, who has been West Ham's captain since last year, has played 48 games across competitions for the club this term. The midfielder has bagged five goals and four assists. His last appearance for the Irons came in their 3-1 Premier League win against Leeds United on May 21.
The Englishman equalized for West Ham in the 31st minute after Rodrigo had given Leeds the lead early on. He completed 65 passes, the most in the game, with an accuracy of 90%. Only teammate Lucas Paqueta (106) had more touches than him (84).
Rice made three clearances, with only Angelo Ogbonna faring better for West Ham. The Arsenal target also won three of the duels attempted. Furthermore, he completed two dribbles as well.