West Ham captain, Declan Rice, appears to be very much in demand this summer transfer window, with Man City apparently joining Arsenal in the race for the 24-year-old.
Rice is currently away on England duty, but it’s thought that his club future will be sorted out as soon as he returns.
Mikel Arteta won’t necessarily be worried that his old employers are sniffing around, though he will be wary that if a deal isn’t concluded swiftly, there’s a chance that Pep Guardiola could persuade Rice that his future is actually with the recent treble winners.
They might even have the edge in the bidding after the person known as ExWHU Employee revealed on his West Ham Way podcast (subscription) required (h/t West Ham Zone), that City are willing to offer an attacking sensation as part of the deal.
He notes that Kalvin Phillips isn’t interested in being used as a makeweight, and City could therefore consider offering 19-year-old winger Carlos Borges instead.
David Moyes seems to have kept his cards very close to his chest in terms of what positions he might be looking to strengthen, and it’s not clear if the offer of Borges would be acceptable to the Scot or not.
For now, the issue that remains a sticking point is the amount that West Ham are willing to accept for the talisman.
Given that Rice still has two years left on his Hammers contract, the east Londoners can afford to dig their heels in for the time being.