Declan Rice ‘STILL favours Arsenal move despite Bayern Munich’s charm offensive’… as Thomas Tuchel tells the West Ham star he will build his midfield around him
- West Ham captain has attracted interest from a number of elite European sides
- Bayern Munich are said to be preparing a club-record offer for the player
- The Hammers could command an over £100m fee for their Player of the Year
Arsenal still have the edge over Bayern Munich in the race to sign Declan Rice, with the midfielder preferring to stay in London rather than relocate to Bavaria, according to reports.
The West Ham star is being hotly-pursued by a number of elite sides, including Chelsea and Manchester United, but the north London side have long been the front runners for Rice’s signature.
The 24-year-old is all but confirmed to leave the London Stadium at the end of West Ham’s season, with the club not only respecting the player’s ambition, but aware of the high fee their captain will command.
Manager David Moyes has valued his player at around £120million, and Bayern are preparing an opening offer of £87m in a bid to tempt him away from the Premier League.
But despite the overtures from Germany, as per the Times, Rice is uncertain about joining the Bundesliga champions.
Declan Rice is believed to still prefer a move to Arsenal despite overtures from Bayern Munch
Thomas Tuchel (left) and Mikel Arteta are both huge admirers of the West Ham captain
Head coach Thomas Tuchel is said to be a huge admirer of West Ham’s Player of the Year, and the former Chelsea boss has already spoken to the player and his father over the telephone about a possible move.
Tuchel is believed to have told Rice that a move to Bayern would make him a star, with the manager suggesting he would look to build his midfield around the player next season.
Signing Rice for the purported fee would make him the club’s record signing, and Bayern would also be prepared to offer players to West Ham to sweeten the deal.
But for his part, Rice is believed to still see a future in the Premier League, with a move across the capital to Arsenal saving him from relocating his young family.
Since January, Mikel Arteta has identified Rice as the club’s top target for this summer’s window and the club are looking to raise around £180m in player sales to facilitate their move.
Granit Xhaka appeared to say goodbye to the Emirates on Sunday with a move to Germany in the works
Granit Xhaka said goodbye to the Emirates on Sunday after nearly 300 appearances for the Gunners with a move to the Bundesliga waiting in the wings, and the club will also entertain offers for Kieran Tierney and Folarin Balogun.
Whilst his future is uncertain, Rice is preparing for his swansong in claret and blue: Wednesday’s Europe Conference League final against Fiorentina.
After the end of the league season, West Ham players have travelled to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp as they ready themselves to face the Florentine club for the first time since 1975’s Anglo-Italian Cup.
The stars were pictured enjoying a rare day-off on the golf course and at a water park on Tuesday, with preparations set to ramp up this week as the club eyes their first major trophy in 43 years.
