Arsenal make Premier League record bid to sign Manchester City target Declan Rice: Reports

Arsenal have reportedly submitted a massive bid to sign Manchester City target Declan Rice from West Ham United. The Gunners have tabled a club-record £100 million bid with £5 million in add-ons.

As per a report by David Ornstein of The Athletic, Arsenal have submitted their third bid to sign Rice from West Ham. The new offer is £15 million over the second bid and is a statement from the Gunners to seal the deal.

Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian has now added that West Ham have not accepted the bid as they are not happy with the payment structure. He has added that talks are ongoing between the clubs, and the Hammers are waiting for Manchester City to respond.

Arsenal had their second bid rejected earlier this month when they tabled £75 million plus 15 million in add-ons. Manchester City matched the total fee, with an £80 million plus £10 million offer, but had their bid also rejected.

West Ham have already admitted that Rice will be allowed to leave this summer as they have an agreement with the club, as long as they get the right fee.

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Graeme Souness not sure about Arsenal and Manchester City target

Graeme Souness has questioned if Declan Rice is the right fit for Arsenal. The Liverpool legend has praised the West Ham United star but added the midfielder does not have the clever passes in him.

He was on talkSPORT when he stated that the move was ideal for the Gunners as they were getting a top player. However, it might not be the best move for the Englishman as he will not get better under Mikel Arteta. Souness said:

"If you're looking for a top, top midfield player, I don't believe he has enough cute passing in him to be that. I think he'd be a really good guy, he'd be great to work with, extremely athletic, he senses danger so he's got that part of a central midfield player's game, he's got that. He can get himself into positions where the guys he is playing against that want to find the striker or make a cute pass, he knows that and not everyone can get that."

He added:

"So he's got that instinctively, but what he doesn't have is cute and clever passes when he gets into the last third. I think he's a little bit predictable when he gets on the ball personally. He'd make Arsenal better. Would he personally get better? Not sure."

Manchester City have let go of Ilkay Gundogan after his contract expired at the end of the season. The German has joined Barcelona on a free transfer and Declan Rice is seen as his replacement.