Arsenal’s transfer window is heating up. West Ham have turned down a £90m offer from Arsenal for Declan Rice as three Saudi sides target the man he would replace at the Emirates Stadium, Thomas Partey.
Arsenal’s offer for Rice is understood to have been valued at £75m upfront, plus a further £15m in surcharges, a price that is still below the £100m the Hammers would like to part with their club captain .
Rice remains Arsenal’s top pick when it comes to bolstering midfield this summer. As CBS Sports announced in January, he is a huge admirer of Mikel Arteta’s team. Although West Ham are willing to play long until their demands are met, owner David Sullivan has admitted the England international will be sold this summer. The Hammers also reportedly want a deal where the majority of the transfer fee is paid in the first two years, which is a departure from the norm. Despite all that, Arsenal are ultimately on track to secure Rice’s signing and will come back with another offer.
Manchester City are also interested in Rice but haven’t turned that into an offer yet as they work towards Mateo Kovacic’s arrival; Should Ilkay Gundogan opt for a contract extension, sources suggest there may not be a spot open for the West Ham man in their squad.
Rice’s form at West Ham in recent years suggests he could be the ideal replacement at the base of midfield for Partey, who is wanted by Al Nassr, Al Ahli and Al Khaleej. The Gunners would be ready to part ways with the Ghana international – CBS Sports said earlier this month they had not entered talks to renew a deal that went into the last two years – but it remains to be seen if the 30-year-old will is ready to leave the Premier League. It should also be noted that Saudi clubs are simultaneously working on a range of potential signings and assessing who would be suitable for a move before settling on the biggest names they can get their hands on.
The bid for Rice isn’t Arsenal’s only unsuccessful move this week, as Ajax have rejected a £30m offer for Jurrien Timber. The Netherlands international would offer the versatility Arteta values in his defensive recruits, covering both William Saliba at centre-back right and Ben White at right-back. Ajax reportedly value Timber at £50m while Arsenal have alternative targets including RB Leipzig’s Mohamed Simakan.
The Gunners are also optimistic Chelsea will be forced to give up the £70m price tag for Kai Havertz, whose contract at Stamford Bridge has two years left. However, the likely departure of four veteran players – N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech – to Saudi Arabia will improve the Blues’ financial situation somewhatAgreeing to sell Havertz before the end of the financial year on June 30 would serve to even the balance sheet after a year in which more than half a billion pounds in spending failed to qualify for European competition.
Arsenal are also looking for another midfielder to replace the outgoing Granit Xhaka, who will join Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year contract once the Gunners find a replacement. They are looking for Romeo Lavia from relegated Southampton. With his signing, expenses are likely to exceed £200million, a statement of intent from the side who have emerged as Manchester City’s biggest challengers this summer. Those expenses are offset by sales from the fringes of the squad, including United States international Folarin Balogun, who is valued at £35m by Arsenal. Kieran Tierney could also leave for a sizeable sum.