Arsenal to table new Declan Rice bid worth club-record £90m
The Gunners are willing to break the bank to land their top summer transfer target after West Ham rejected opening offer
rsenal are set to submit a club-record bid of £90million for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
The offer, which is expected imminently, will be the Gunners’s second formal approach after an initial bid of around £80m was rejected last week.
West Ham were thought to be unhappy about the structure of that proposed deal, which contained a number of clauses.
Rice, who played in England’s 7-0 win over North Macedonia on Tuesday night, is the Gunners No1 summer transfer target.
West Ham have accepted that their captain will be sold this summer but are hoping to secure a deal worth at least £100m amid interest from a number of other top-flight clubs, including Manchester City. Bayern Munich were initially keen on the 24-year-old but have since withdrawn their interest.
Top target: Arsenal are willing to make Declan Rice their most-expensive signing of all time
/ Evening StandardRice has turned down several offers of a new contract worth around £200,000 per week and has a year left to run on his current deal, though West Ham have the option of a further 12 months beyond that.
Arsenal are planning an overhaul of their midfield this summer after missing out to City in the Premier League title race.
Granit Xhaka looks likely to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £13m move, while the club are also ready to listen to offers for Thomas Partey.
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Moises Caicedo is a long-term target, and Arsenal had two bids for him in January rejected, though Chelsea remain favourites to land the Brighton man.
The Gunners are also admirers of City captain Ilkay Gundogan, who is yet to decide if he will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this month, and have been linked with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.