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Declan Rice: West Ham reject second Arsenal bid for England midfielder

By Simon StoneBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments186

Declan Rice
Declan Rice won the Europa Conference League in what looks likely to be his final game for West Ham

West Ham United have rejected a second bid from Arsenal for their captain Declan Rice.

It is understood the Gunners' latest offer for the 24-year-old England midfielder could have been worth as much as £90m in total to the Hammers.

However, Arsenal were proposing the initial fee for Rice to be £75m, spread over four payments.

West Ham rejected Arsenal's opening bid last week and want a larger fee and a shorter payment plan to the deal.

Hammers chairman David Sullivan has said he is "99%" sure Rice, who led the Hammers to victory in the Europa Conference League earlier this month, will leave West Ham this summer.

Rice has played 245 games and scored 15 goals for West Ham, having made his debut in the 2016-17 season after coming through the academy.

He has been capped 41 times by England, playing in all five of their matches at last winter's World Cup.

Rice has one year left on his contract, although the Hammers have the option to extend that until the summer of 2025, leaving them in a strong position to negotiate a substantial transfer fee.

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188 comments

  • Comment posted by Lorimer, today at 17:11

    Never let Arsenal Football Club order you a takeaway; despite two attempts, it would still come without rice.

  • Comment posted by KGR0467, today at 17:15

    Rice = £90m+

    Mac allister, World Cup winner = £35m

    • Reply posted by the boulder, today at 17:17

      the boulder replied:
      he’ll be on the bench

  • Comment posted by DaveP1982, today at 17:07

    It wasn't that long ago Arsenal couldn't afford to pay the mascot who they made redundant!

    • Reply posted by Turtle, today at 17:16

      Turtle replied:
      Far to much money floating around the soccer leagues.

      They should either have a salary cap like Rugby or the same salaries for male and female players like tennis.

  • Comment posted by 2020visionary, today at 17:16

    Walk away, Arsenal.

    • Reply posted by P38 W26 D12 L0, today at 17:33

      P38 W26 D12 L0 replied:
      I'd rather have Caicedo than Rice.

      Not sure why when we bid for him back in January we have gone cool on the deal now (barring the fact Chelsea will pay silly wages).

  • Comment posted by RoyKent, today at 17:09

    How is Rice worth 100m or even 90m? Must be the English premium. Hope Arsenal stays away. They can buy 2 to 3 equally good midfielders for that kind of money. Keep looking.

    • Reply posted by Eddie K, today at 17:14

      Eddie K replied:
      There aren't 3 "equally good" midfielders in the world! Look at the stats.

  • Comment posted by Devils Advocate, today at 17:10

    Conflicted by this... Loads of admiration for Rice as a player and would love him at Arsenal. But we've been burnt by transfer fees and always seem to get charged more for players.

    Really respect the clubs approach lately and want sensible business to continue. Personally, i'd say £80m is fair in todays market, or we explore other options. Shame if we dont get him though.

    • Reply posted by LionelRhodes, today at 17:14

      LionelRhodes replied:
      Agreed.

  • Comment posted by LionelRhodes, today at 17:13

    Maybe Arsenal should just move onto other targets now. It's an awful lot of money.

  • Comment posted by pabsie, today at 17:07

    Cmon Arsenal. Make one final bid and if it is rejected- move on.

    • Reply posted by Specialist_in_tailoring, today at 17:29

      Specialist_in_tailoring replied:
      Spot on

  • Comment posted by Astle2005, today at 17:09

    £90M for Declan Rice when Bellingham went for less than that? This has to be a joke

    • Reply posted by Kazamo, today at 17:13

      Kazamo replied:
      Ah no, West Ham won’t be happy with anything less than 120m. Good bit to go with this saga

  • Comment posted by onyabike, today at 17:19

    he's good but 90m is a lot of money. will arsenal really improve that much with rice? not convinced.

  • Comment posted by iSD49, today at 17:37

    Arsenal. Walk away. Show them you mean business. Buy 2 great players at 50m each. But do not offer more for Rice please. Better value elsewhere than Rice.

  • Comment posted by campbelljaa, today at 17:12

    People always forget the difference between a player's actual worth and what a player is worth to the club, which is Rice's case is the potential difference between relegation and survival. So not surprised in the slightest they want £90 million.

  • Comment posted by This name is awaiting moderation, today at 17:08

    initial fee for _____ to be £75m, "spread over four payments"

    someone has been leaking my Football Manager secrets to success

    • Reply posted by Mike Torrinos Cellphone Battery, today at 17:10

      Mike Torrinos Cellphone Battery replied:
      Unfortunately West Ham won't fall for a huge chunk of the fee after 50 PL goals!

  • Comment posted by noddy546, today at 17:24

    well he is the best back passer in the game. never worth 100m. more like 40m.

  • Comment posted by HarryJsAllstar, today at 17:28

    To be fair to West Ham, Arsenal once paid £72 million for Pepe, who was nowhere near as good a player as Rice is.

  • Comment posted by RoyKent, today at 17:17

    Luton entering the bidding war.

    • Reply posted by the boulder, today at 17:20

      the boulder replied:
      For another £3 quid arsenal can buy your club.
      Retail park and housing