Arsenal face another Mykhaylo Mudryk repeat as board ‘decide maximum they’ll spend on Declan Rice’
Alan Smith suggests that Arsenal might encounter a situation similar to the Mykhaylo Mudryk incident with Declan Rice.
The ex-Arsenal striker asserts that he has conversed with individuals from the club’s board, who have likely determined the highest sum they are willing to propose for the West Ham captain.
Arsenal has identified Rice as their primary transfer target for the summer, but other leading English clubs and German powerhouse Bayern Munich have also expressed interest. West Ham, Rice’s current club, is open to letting him go in the upcoming transfer window.
However, West Ham is looking to secure a fee of up to £120 million for the talented English player. Smith, however, does not believe Rice justifies such a high valuation, as he does not consider him to be a player who single-handedly wins matches.
He told Sky Sports News: “West Ham might want £120m. As to whether they’re going to get it or not, I’m not so sure about that.
“He’s a fine player, of course he is, great character, he’s young, he’s got his best years ahead of him. He’s not a match-winner, he’s just a very good player that would add to your starting XI.”
If West Ham insists on demanding the £120 million fee for Rice, Smith believes Arsenal might withdraw from the deal. This decision by Arsenal’s management aligns with their previous stance when they opted not to pay the £88 million requested by Shakhtar Donetsk for Mudryk in January, which ultimately allowed Chelsea to swoop in and sign him.
Smith has had discussions with individuals involved in Arsenal’s transfer activities. According to him, Arsenal has already determined the maximum amount they are willing to spend on Rice and is unlikely to reconsider their stance, even if it results in losing him to a competing team.
Asked if he can see Arsenal spending £120m, Smith said: “No I can’t really, I have to say, not £120m. We saw their negotiation tactics with Mudryk when he was linked with Arsenal and they would only go up to a certain price, and after that they were out.
“They left it to Chelsea with Mudryk. If somebody else wanted to bid silly money for Declan Rice, having spoken to people on the recruitment side, people on the board at Arsenal who have given me an idea of how they work, yeah they’ve got a ceiling and they won’t be held to ransom.
“They’ll have a figure in mind and they’ll go up to that if they do want him but they won’t go any higher.”
Arsenal face another Mykhaylo Mudryk repeat as board ‘decide maximum they’ll spend on Declan Rice’