Everyone connected to the Gunners was shocked to learn that Manchester City intended to make a formal offer for Declan Rice, an Arsenal priority signing.
football.london is aware of In the following days, Pep Guardiola’s team will initiate contact with the West Ham captain. The triple champions have long had a soft spot for Rice, and they now appear poised to put Arsenal to the test over their own assessment of the midfielder.
Since the Gunners twice declined to accept West Ham’s crystal-clear assessment of £100 million, frustration has grown among fans. After having an initial offer of £80 million plus at least £10 million refused last week, the north London organization had a second offer denied on Tuesday.
The true worth of City’s offer has still to be determined, but their demonstrated financial clout in previous years demonstrates their readiness to pay a fair price for their targets. However, in the case of Arsenal, their decision to close the sale on their conditions may require sporting director Edu Gaspar to look for alternatives.
And Nicolo Barella of Inter Milan would be the ideal match. The vivacious Italian put together another strong season in Milan and added some offensive production to his performance. According to RotoWire, he generated 77 chances for his teammates, assisted in another six goals, and made 105 crosses.
For a number of transfer windows, Premier League interest in Barella appeared to be dormant. Newcastle reportedly made progress in their quest earlier this month, but they are now close to signing Sandro Tonali, a defensive midfielder for AC Milan.
FCInterNews claims that Barella’s transfer crisis is far from over and that a number of Premier League teams are still vying for his services, including Arsenal. According to the report, Manchester United and Liverpool are also interested.
When trying to secure their primary transfer, Rice is reportedly seen as a backup plan for Barella.
However, like West Ham with Rice, Inter Milan have no ambitions of letting one of their greatest players leave for cheap. I Nerazzurri will only be open to contemplating a trade for a fee close to €90m-€100m (£77.4m-£86m) – lower than Rice’s price tag.