- West Ham midfielder linked with several clubs
- Man Utd tried to snap him up
- But Hammers wanted more money
WHAT HAPPENED? Manchester United lodged their bid for Rice last summer as their pursuit of Frenkie de Jong stalled, reports talkSPORT, but West Ham want £120m ($144m), plus add-ons, for the player. Arsenal and Chelsea are also in the running for Rice.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: West Ham manager David Moyes recently claimed Rice would command a Premier League record transfer fee, telling reporters: "Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player. He'll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham. There's a lot of talk about it and when you see what's going about for the prices, I think Dec will be blowing that out of the water, that's for sure, when it comes around."
AND WHAT'S MORE: Arsenal hold genuine interest in Rice and could emerge as strong competition to Manchester United, says GOAL correspondent Charles Watts.
"The Gunners are keen to lower the age of their central midfield options, given Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Jorginho will all start next season the wrong side of 30," Watts writes. "Mikel Arteta is a big admirer of Rice and will push to bring him to the club during the summer. The big issue for Arsenal, however, will be the price tag. West Ham are set to demand well in excess of £100 million for the England international, a figure that will dwarf Arsenal's club record transfer fee, which currently stands at £72m for Nicolas Pepe. Such a hefty price tag will most likely give the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea the advantage for Rice, but Arsenal can't be ruled out - especially if they go on to secure Champions League football next season, which is now looking increasingly likely."
IN A PHOTO:
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RICE? West Ham find themselves in a surprise relegation fight, currently just one point ahead of 18th place. Rice will face one of his admirers in Chelsea on Saturday, hoping to help his current club stay up.