West Ham ‘REJECT Man City’s £90m bid for Declan Rice’

West Ham have rejected Manchester City‘s £90million bid for Declan Rice, according to The Telegraph.

Rice is one of the most-coveted players on the market this summer with the England midfielder widely expected to leave the Hammers after guiding them to glory in the Europa Conference League.

Arsenal have identified Rice as their top target but have already had two bids rejected and City’s first offer – which comprised of a guaranteed £80m plus an extra £10m in add-ons – has also been turned down by West Ham.

Mail Sport reported on Monday that Arsenal are set to make an improved third offer for Rice inside 48 hours as they counter the attempts of City’s proposal.

However, the forthcoming proposal will not be in direct response to the Treble-winners’ bid – although it will focus the club’s efforts to sign Rice, who is Mikel Arteta’s No 1 target.

City’s first offer for the England midfielder comprised of £80m plus a further £10m in add-ons 

Rice is expected to leave the Hammers after guiding them to Europa Conference League glory

City’s offer did beat Arsenal’s previous rejected bid of a guaranteed £75m plus an additional £15m in bonuses, but the Hammers are seeking at least a £100m for their star man. Sources claim that the Gunners’ third offer will be closer towards this valuation.

West Ham are hoping for this amount after seeing Jude Bellingham move to Real Madrid for a fee rising up to £113m and also having agreed to Rice’s wish to depart this summer.

The payment structure is also emerging as a factor, with the Hammers wanting the guaranteed portion of the fee for Rice to be paid in two instalments before 2025 – Arsenal’s second bid had the payments spread across a five-year period.

Manchester United also retain an interest in the midfielder as Erik ten Hag looks to bring in reinforcements to his squad, but are seen as outsiders in the race.

The Red Devils have been contemplating a player-plus-cash deal, with Mail Sport  explaining on Sunday how they are open to selling as many as 13 stars to raise funds.

Among these names is Scott McTominay – who the Hammers have shown interest in – while Moyes is also a fan of Harry Maguire but his wage demands are likely to be prohibitive. 

City’s bid comes after the departure of their captain Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona was confirmed, with the German signing a two-year deal with the option of a further 12 months with the Catalan giants.

They are also set to bring in Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic for a £30m fee but still want to strengthen their Treble-winning side further and Rice – who they have genuine interest in – is viewed as a ‘strong option’ by Guardiola. 

Arsenal – who have had two bids rejected for Rice – are planning a third bid in the coming days

The Hammers hierarchy (pictured – West Ham chairman David Sullivan (right)) are seeking a package of at least £100m for their star man who has played more than 200 times for the club

Arsenal are now set to make another offer for Rice in the coming days.

Since making his debut at the age of 18 in 2017, the 24-year-old has developed into a homegrown hero for the east London club.

In total, he has racked up 245 appearances, scoring 15 goals.

During that time, Rice – who played three times for Republic of Ireland in 2018 before switching allegiance to England – has established himself as a key man for Gareth Southgate’s side, winning 43 caps.

The Hammers’ triumph in the Europa Conference League last season capped off what had been a difficult season for the club as they flirted with relegation and Moyes came under significant pressure.

However, a late season run of four wins in their final 10 games secured safety and a 14th place finish, before they defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in the Conference League final courtesy of Jarrod Bowen’s last-gasp winner.

This means Rice’s last involvement with the club could be being the first Hammers skipper since Bobby Moore to lift a European trophy.