West Ham have rejected a second bid from Arsenal for Declan Rice worth £90m (€105m). Arsenal offered £75m plus £15m in add-ons which West Ham believe will be difficult to achieve and have been told it will take a minimum of £100m to do a deal.
Arsenal had an initial £80m offer rejected last week and want to secure Rice quickly. They remain confident of signing the England midfielder but Manchester City are monitoring the situation as they await a decision from Ilkay Gündogan on whether he will extend his stay. West Ham expect City to enter the race this week.
Part of Arsenal’s approach is down to being told initially that £80m would be enough to get Rice. However, the price has risen dramatically since West Ham’s triumph in the Europa Conference League final and that has caused a delay.
Arsenal are also interested in Southampton’s midfielder Roméo Lavia but have not yet bid for the Belgium international and that is not tied to the outcome of their pursuit of Rice. They are in talks with Southampton and the 19-year-old’s representatives.
Mikel Arteta also wants to strengthen in defence and has made Ajax’s Jurriën Timber his top target. RB Leipzig’s Mo Simakan is another on Arsenal’s list for that position.
Manchester United and Newcastle are the latest Premier League clubs to show an interest in Adama Bojang but face a battle with several German teams to sign the Gambia Under-20 forward.
Bojang, who starred in his country’s recent run to the knockout stages at the Under-20 World Cup, is available for about €3m (£2.6m) from Steve Biko FC in the Gambia. The 19-year-old has also attracted interest from Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Tottenham and Wolves after his performances in Argentina.
It is understood his club has received an offer from an unnamed German side this week, with RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt linked with Bojang. He is believed to favour a move to the Bundesliga but it remains to be seen whether that would change if an English club make a move.
Despite his lack of experience in Europe, Bojang could qualify for a UK work permit under the updated governing body endorsement (GBE) criteria for international player visas approved by the British home office last week. English clubs are permitted to sign a number of players who do not meet the points requirements, with four available to teams in the top two divisions.
That could enable Southampton to sign Bojang’s international team-mate Dembo Saidykhan, a defender who also plays for Steve Biko FC. Both were part of the Gambia side that reached the final of the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations in March, where Bojang scored four times and was named in the team of the tournament. – Guardian
