Bayern Munich believes Arsenal will make an opening bid of £70 million for West Ham United captain Declan Rice.
That’s according to Florian Plettenberg, a journalist who provides an update on the Declan Rice transfer saga.
The future of the England international does not appear to be clear this summer.
Arsenal has been interested in the 24-year-old for some time and can now offer him Champions League football.
When a player of that calibre becomes available on the market, however, other teams take notice.
Thomas Tuchel will have seen a lot of Rice during his time with Chelsea in England.
He is now eager to bring Rice to Bayern in order to derail Arsenal’s plans for the summer.
Mikel Arteta is desperate to improve his midfield options for next season.
With Granit Xhaka potentially on his way out, West Ham’s ‘outstanding’ player could be the ideal replacement.
Plettenberg tweeted an update, saying, “Update [on] Rice (Due to many inquiries): There are no agreements in place, and no offers have been made. Instead, Bayern’s executives are planning the next steps.
“The bosses want to grant Tuchel’s wish. First and foremost, the new board must determine what Bayern is willing to offer in the first round.
“Bayern understands that Arsenal should be willing to pay around £70 million.” Rice remains the top internal target!”
Arsenal will not make a bid for Rice until the end of the season.
He is preparing to lead West Ham in the Europa Conference League Final on Wednesday in Prague.
A European trophy to cap off his West Ham career would be a huge accomplishment.
Bayern Munich will be hoping to entice Rice away from Arsenal and the Premier League.
They are one of the few clubs outside of England that can compete financially with clubs like Arsenal.
This summer, the Hammers will encourage a bidding war between the two clubs.
They may even prefer Rice to move to the Bundesliga so that they do not have to face him again next season.
