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‘Within 48 hours’: Arsenal now expected to make fresh bid for ‘unbelievable’ player this week – journalist
Journalist Dean Jones believes that Arsenal will return with a second bid for Declan Rice within the next 48 hours after their first offer was rejected by West Ham.
Jones was speaking on following the news from the that West Ham have turned down a bid of £80 million from the Gunners for the 24-year-old.
It is no surprise that the future of Declan Rice has been one of the key stories early on in the summer transfer window. West Ham are prepared to let him go, but want £100 million.
Arsenal likely to make second Rice bid in next 48 hours
It has appeared for some time that Arsenal may be on pole position to sign Rice. However, the also noted that Manchester City have entered the race for the England international.
Arsenal have shown in the past that they are not willing to pay more than they wish to to land a player. So some Gunners fans may be concerned that they are in danger of missing out on the West Ham captain.
However, Jones has suggested that Arsenal could make their next move imminently.
“When I checked in with someone this morning on this, I was like: ‘what happens now with Arsenal?’ And they said they go back with a second offer very quickly, like within 48 hours,” he told . “You can expect Arsenal to be reevaluating this and going back in.”
Gunners can no longer afford to hang around
Arsenal are prepared to break their transfer record to bring the ‘‘ Rice to the Emirates. In the grand scheme of things, the jump between what the Gunners are currently offering and what West Ham want is not that great.
Of course, Edu needs to pursue the best possible deal. Arsenal are not only looking at one player. And thus, they need to leave themselves with the means to pursue other targets also.
However, leaving the door open for Manchester City could be a real gamble. Obviously, it is going to be difficult for any player in the world to reject Pep Guardiola’s men if offered the chance to join them.
So it is encouraging to hear that Arsenal are not going to wait too long to make a second bid. And obviously, it is going to be an improved offer.
If Rice is the name at the top of the wishlist, the Gunners have to make sure the deal gets across the line. It will infuriate supporters if they haggle for so long that it leaves the path clear for Manchester City.