manchester city (opens in a new tab) He will reportedly go head to head with Arsenal. (opens in a new tab) as they look to secure the West Ham signing (opens in a new tab) star Declan Rice.
Speculation about the future of the Hammers captain has swirled during many transfer windows now, but as the final 12 months of his contract approach, there is a feeling that this summer will finally see him move on from London Stadium.
According Soccer Insider (opens in a new tab)City intend to ‘push Arsenal all the way’ in the race for the 24-year-old English midfielder.
West Ham boss David Moyes has previously insisted he would take at least £150m (opens in a new tab) – which would be the third-highest transfer fee of all time – to entice Rice, but recent reports have suggested he could be available for around half that.
It was reported last month that Arsenal had made Rice their number one summer transfer target. (opens in a new tab), but they could face some very tough competition. chelsea (opens in a new tab) They remain linked with their former youth squad, while there is talk of a transfer to Manchester United (opens in a new tab) it is not completely gone.
While Chelsea continue to languish in mid-table, Arsenal, City and United should play in the Champions League next season, and Rice has made her European ambition quite clear. Speaking while he was at the 2022 World Cup with England, he said (opens in a new tab):
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing for the Champions League and for big trophies. You only have one run and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won. and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Rice made his West Ham debut at the age of 18 on the final day of the 2016/17 Premier League season and has featured 224 times for the club he joined as a 14-year-old.
He has been a mainstay of the England team in each of the last two major tournaments, winning 39 caps for the Three Lions in total.
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Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan is out of contract this summer, and it has been reported that Barcelona have already set to work on a deal for the midfielder. (opens in a new tab).
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland’s agent has claimed the Premier League Golden Boot leader is now worth €1bn. (opens in a new tab).