Journalist shares what Arsenal have now told West Ham about Declan Rice

Arsenal are reportedly in the process of preparing a third bid for Declan Rice.

This is according to the Daily Mail, who shared an update on the Gunners’ pursuit of the West Ham ace on Tuesday.

Arsenal have been in discussions with the Hammers over their captain over the past few weeks.

The Gunners have reportedly submitted two bids, but West Ham have rejected both.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have apparently opened the race, but the Hammers turned down their bid too.

Now, the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel has reported that Arsenal have let West Ham know they’re planning a third bid.

Apparently, this bid will be ‘within touching distance of the Hammers’ £100million asking price’.

The structure of the deal will also be a key factor, added the report.

West Ham apparently prefer the guaranteed part of the fee be paid by the start of 2025.

However, Arsenal have so far offered to pay the fee over the course of five years.

Negotiations will likely continue, and we’ll see whether there will be a breakthrough this time.

Our view

By this point, it’s very much common knowledge that the Gunners want to bring the West Ham captain to the Emirates.

However, it was never going to be easy for Arsenal to strike a deal. After all, Rice is “one of the best in the world” and is West Ham’s main asset.

Everyone knows he’s a ‘world-class‘ player, and him helping West Ham break their trophy drought is further testament to his quality.

Arsenal now seem to be getting closer to what Rice’s club wants to part company with his services this summer.

Let’s see what happens in the coming days. Maybe even hours. In the transfer window, exciting reports often appear out of nowhere.