Rice is one of the most sought-after players this summer because the England midfielder, who helped West Ham win the Europa League, is widely expected to leave the club.
Arsenal is also interested in the player and has already had two offers rejected. City’s initial offer, which contained a guaranteed £80 million with a further £10 million in add-ons, was rejected by David Moyes’ squad.
On Monday, Mail Sport reported that Arsenal would challenge City’s approach with an enhanced third offer for Rice within the next 48 hours.
The upcoming proposal won’t directly counter the Treble-winners’ offer, but it will concentrate the club’s efforts on bringing in Rice, who is Mikel Arteta’s top priority.
City’s offer beat Arsenal’s earlier rejected offer of a guaranteed £75 million plus a further £ 15 million in bonuses, but the Hammers are still seeking at least a £100 million for their star player. According to insiders, the third offer from the Gunners will be closer to this prediction.
West Ham is requesting this cash after Jude Bellingham joined Real Madrid for a cost that could reach £115 million and after agreeing to Rice’s request to leave this summer.
The payment plan is also starting to matter, as the Hammers prefer to receive the guaranteed portion of the Rice fee in two installments before 2025, as opposed to Arsenal’s second bid, which saw the payments made over a five-year period.
Although they are considered outsiders in the competition, Manchester United still has an interest in the midfielder as Erik ten Hag tries to bolster his team.
As Erik ten Hag attempts to bolster his squad, Manchester United continues to have interest in the midfielder as well, but they are considered outsiders in the competition.
Scott McTominay, who the Hammers have expressed interest in, is one of these names. Moyes is also an admirer of Harry Maguire, although his salary demands are probably out of reach.
City made its offer after it was announced that their captain, Ilkay Gundogan, would be leaving for Barcelona on a two-year agreement with an additional 12-month option.
They also intend to spend £30 million on Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, but they still want to bolster their Treble-winning team. Guardiola sees Rice, in whom they have a genuine interest, as a “strong option.”
Arsenal is now prepared to submit a second bid in the upcoming days.
The 24-year-old has been a homegrown hero for the east London side since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2017.
He has made 245 appearances overall and scored 15 goals.
Rice, who represented the Republic of Ireland on three occasions in 2018 before deciding to represent England, has established himself as an important member of Gareth Southgate’s team during that period, earning 43 caps.
Last season, the Hammers’ victory in the Europa Conference League brought an end to a challenging campaign for the club during which they nearly lost their Premier League status and Moyes faced intense criticism.
As a result, Rice might become the first captain of the Hammers since Bobby Moore to win a European championship in his final season with the team.
