Manchester City are closing in on signing 24-year-old England international Declan Rice amid competition from Arsenal.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Manchester City have entered the race for the signatures of Declan Rice, and they are very close to agreeing on a deal with West Ham United for his services. With Ilkay Gundogan all set to part ways with the club, City have identified the 24-year-old as a potential replacement.
Rice has been the mainstay of the West Ham midfield for quite a few years now. He recently led them to the UEFA Europa Conference League title. And post that David Sullivan their chairman confirmed that the England international is all set to leave the East London club.
Arsenal are one of the clubs that have been keen on acquiring his services for a while now. Mikel Arteta is a big fan of the player and is desperate to have him in his ranks. The Gunners failed to win the league title in the 2022/23 season and want to push for it again next season with a stronger squad.
Rice is their priority target. But West Ham have already rejected two bids from Arsenal, although Arteta and his team have confident about getting it over the line. However, a lot has changed in the last 24 hours.
Initially, there were just rumours of Manchester City’s interest in the 24-year-old’s services. But, of late, the Premier League champions have started making moves. They have initiated talks with West Ham over a potential transfer for the England international. And, City believe that they can beat Arsenal in the race for the signatures of Rice.
Manchester City are really confident about agreeing on a deal with the Hammers. They are in talks with the player’s representatives and are expected to put forward an official bid in the near future.
Given the financial strength of Pep Guardiola’s team, they could easily win the race for his services. And, despite all their attempts Mikel Arteta’s men could come out empty-handed. With Manchester City ready to give it their all to sign Rice, it will be interesting to see how Arsenal respond.
