Manchester City have pulled out of the race to land Declan Rice after Arsenal tabled a bid of £105million.
Mail Sport understands that the Premier League champions are unwilling to stretch to those numbers in their pursuit of the midfielder and will now move on.
Pep Guardiola had targeted the 43-cap England international to sit alongside Rodri in the City midfield, although Arsenal had made all the running and prioritised the capture of the 24-year-old to spearhead another tilt at the Premier League title.
City have history of withdrawing interest in players – most notably Marc Cucurella, Jorginho, Harry Maguire, Alexis Sanchez and Kalidou Koulibaly in recent years.
The Gunners bid £100m, plus £5m in add-ons, on Tuesday and City have made it clear they do not want to match those numbers. Rice is ready to tell West Ham to accept the bid in a huge boost to Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
Manchester City have ended their interest in signing Declan Rice after Arsenal’s £105m bid
Pep Guardiola’s side have ended their interest in the West Ham star and will not submit another bid
However their offer has not been accepted, with well-placed sources indicating that negotiations are continuing, mainly over the structure of the deal.
As Mail Sport revealed earlier this month, the Hammers want the guaranteed portion of the fee paid by the start of 2025, preferably in two instalments.
It is understood that Arsenal want to pay the fee over a five-year period.
And talks over reaching a middle ground with regards to the structure of the deal will continue on Wednesday morning with Arsenal desperate to reach an agreement as they seek to clinch Rice’s capture.
Their offer exceeds West Ham’s £100m valuation for the England star.
The two clubs are now locked in talks as they look to strike a deal, which would see Rice become the most expensive British player of all time, surpassing the £100m Man City paid for Jack Grealish.
Arsenal have made a considerable effort to make up ground on their rivals in recent seasons, with the expected signing of Rice alongside £65m Kai Havertz another indication of new-found spending power.
City, meanwhile, are taking stock of their options ahead of the new season but are pressing ahead with a move for RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol.
They have held tentative interest in Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, who is currently putting the finishing touches to a £40m switch to Tottenham.
City are also interested in signing Celta Vigo’s Spanish central midfielder Gabri Veiga, but he is not considered a major summer target for the Treble winners as the club have long been admirers of him.
Mikel Arteta is inching closer to landing his No 1 target in this summer’s transfer window
