Report: There has been a twist in Arsenal’s pursuit of Declan Rice

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This is the news no Arsenal fan wanted to hear.

For weeks we’ve been hearing how the Gunners are the favourites in the race to sign Declan Rice, but that could be about to change.

Indeed, according to The Athletic, Manchester City are now pursuing their own move for the England international, and that presents a big twist in this race.

Make no mistake about it, Manchester City are the last team Arsenal would want to be competing with here.

One of the richest clubs in the world and newly-crowned champions of Europe, it is not going to be easy for Rice to reject a move to the Etihad this summer.

With that being said though, Arsenal do still have some kind of edge potentially.

It’s been widely reported that Rice wants to stay in London, so that’s a big tick in the Arsenal box, while the Gunners would be able to promise that Rice would start every week, while with Rodri and Kalvin Phillips already competing for the holding midfield role at City, Rice may not play every single game if he joins the Premier League champions.

This is a real test of Arsenal’s mettle. It’s the first time since they returned to the top table of European football that they face a transfer battle with a club that is, arguably, more appealing to a player, and this will be where Edu and Mikel Arteta earn their keep.

This would be a huge coup for Arsenal if they can finalise this deal while facing competition from Manchester City, but it must be stressed just how difficult it is to beat City in a race for a player if they have their heart set on signing him.

This could well turn into one of the transfer sagas of the summer.