Manchester City have entered the race to sign the English midfielder Declan Rice as reported by The Athletic on Thursday.
Another English club Arsenal have been trying to sign the 24-year-old but both of their bids of £80m and £90m were rejected by West Ham.
Rice, 24, led West Ham United to European glory last season as his team defeated the Italian club Fiorentina 2-1 in a UEFA Conference League (UECL) final on June 7 in Fortuna Arena, Czech Republic.
City, who are preparing for life without their captain Ilkay Gundogan as he is on the verge of joining FC Barcelona, are set to acquire the services of the English midfielder to fill the gap that will be left with the departure of their captain.
Earlier on Wednesday (June 21), it was reported by ESPN that the English champions have agreed to a £25m deal for the Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
City’s head coach Pep Guardiola is an admirer of the Croatian since his time at Real Madrid and wants to bring him to Manchester.
During his time with Los Blancos, the Croatian won three UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles and La Liga in 2017.
It was also reported on the same that day Gundogan, who was on top of the wishlist for Barca as head coach Xavi Hernandez has been a big admirer of the midfielder, signed for the Spanish Club with only the official announcement pending.
Gundogan’s experience, versatility and most importantly a free transfer are some of the reasons why Barca completed the signing.
Despite a new contract offered to the German by his club, the 32-year-old decided to leave as he wanted to take on a new challenge in the later part of his career.
The 32-year-old led Manchester City to a historic treble last season where they also won their first-ever UEFA Champions League (UCL) title in the club’s history. He also scored a brace in FA Cup final against Manchester United to help his team seal the trophy.
As it seems, City will cover the absence of Gundogan with two top-notch midfielders who are proven in the league as well as on the European stage.