Rob Dawson, Correspondent June 27, 2023 4:18 am ET
Manchester City’s initial offer for Declan Rice has been rejected by West Ham, according to ESPN sources.
City stepped up their bid for the England midfielder with an offer of £80m ($102m) plus a further £10m in surcharges on Monday. However, sources have told ESPN that West Ham have rejected the offer and are awaiting guaranteed payments of at least £100m.
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Arsenal had turned down an offer of £75m plus £15m in surcharges last week. Manchester United have also shown an interest in Rice but there are doubts as to whether they can even come close to matching West Ham’s valuation.
City have reiterated their interest in Rice after Ilkay Gundogan opted to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
The Premier League champions were keen for Gündogan to stay but were only willing to offer a two-year deal – Barca offered a two-year deal with an option for a third – and were also reluctant to meet the Germany international’s salary demand in October he will 33 years old.
City have already secured a £30m deal for Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic but are also interested in adding Rice to the squad.
Doubts remain about the future of Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and Kalvin Phillips. According to sources, West Ham are one of the clubs interested in Phillips should he decide to leave the Etihad Stadium this summer.
West Ham expect Rice to leave this summer but have so far stuck to their demands to be paid at least £100m. He has one year left on his contract at the London Stadium, but West Ham also have the option to extend his contract for another year.