Last night David Ornstein reported that West Ham have received a £90m bid from Manchester City for Declan Rice.
That puts Chelsea in a tricky position, and our summer is intimately connected with the battle between Arsenal and Man City for Rice. The Blues are trying to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton, but are bogged down in their own price war with the Seagulls, who are aiming for £100m and certainly won’t take less than £80m.
🚨 EXCL: West Ham have tonight received formal offer from Manchester City to sign Declan Rice. #MCFC proposing deal worth £80m + £10m add-ons after 2nd Arsenal bid of £75m + £15m rejected last week. #AFC pursuit of main target ongoing @TheAthleticFC #WHUFC https://t.co/61GrpGrlrq
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 26, 2023
Chelsea would do well to pay that now if they really want the Ecuadorian. If City’s bid is successful – and there’s no reason to think they won’t stump up the cash they need to sign Rice – Arsenal will be straight in for Caicedo, and given the choice between the two clubs, he could well pick the Emirates. A 12th place finish for us and at least one season out of European football altogether is a big blow.
