Manchester City table £90 million bid for West Ham’s Declan Rice amid Arsenal interest

Manchester City have made their first formal bid for West Ham captain Declan Rice.

The treble-winners have identified the 24 year-old midfielder as a potential replacement for club captain Ilkay Gundogan, who confirmed on Monday that he was leaving the club and joining Barcelona on a free transfer.

Rice, who captained West Ham to an historic Europa Conference League trophy earlier this month, is expected to leave the London Stadium this summer, amid interest from four Premier League clubs and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Arsenal, who rivalled Manchester City in the Premier League title race, have seen two bids rejected for the Hammers midfielder, with Mikel Arteta making the 24 year-old the Gunners’ priority transfer target.

City meanwhile have officially formalised their interest in Rice, tabling a £90 million offer for the midfielder according to David Ornstein.

The Blues’ offer is the second biggest in the club’s history, only eclipsed by the £100 million paid for Jack Grealish in 2021.

Manchester City’s formal bid proposes a deal worth £80 million plus £10 million in add-ons, report The Athletic.

This first bid by the Sky Blues trumps that of Arsenal’s, who had an offer of £75 million plus £15 million in add-ons rejected last week.

The North London club will respond to City’s official offer for Rice with another bid of their own according to Fabrizio Romano, though have faced recent criticism for the structure of their previous offers.

Manchester United and Chelsea are also claimed to hold an interest in the England international, though are yet to formalise their interest in the player.

Manchester City have already agreed a deal with Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and are also pursuing a move for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol.

Rice featured in 37 of West Ham’s Premier League matches last season and following triumph in the Europa Conference League, Hammers Chairman David Sullivan revealed that the 24 year-old would be allowed to leave this summer.

City’s first offer for Rice notably doesn’t include any players, despite the East London club having a long-standing interest in Kalvin Phillips, who made just four starts for the Sky Blues during the previous campaign.