Why Cristiano Ronaldo gives Arsenal hope of winning Declan Rice transfer battle with Man City

Manchester City are attempting to hijack Arsenal's move to sign West Ham star Declan Rice - but history has previously indicated that City may be the ones to miss out.

Arsenal have submitted two bids for Rice, which were both rejected by West Ham. The second offer was worth £75 million plus £15 million in add-ons, and would have been a club-record deal if concluded.

The Hammers are reportedly expecting a third bid for the player from Arsenal. But City joined the race on Monday, proposing an initial fee of £80 million plus £10 million in add-ons for the England international.

However, that bid was also rejected. It is expected that both teams may have to push their bids up to at least £100 million if they are to be successfully.

That would create something of a bidding war between the two teams to sign the Hammers captain, who lifted the Europa Conference League trophy earlier this month.

But history has suggested that City could pull out if the battle continues.

Why Cristiano Ronaldo could give Arsenal hope in Rice race

In 2021, City were in the race to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, with the Portuguese legend eventually joining Manchester United instead.

They were offered the chance to bring Ronaldo to the Etihad Stadium, with Sky Sports claiming they considered a move but eventually pulled out of negotiations.

Speaking prior to the United deal being announced, City boss Pep Guardiola said (quotes via Manchester Evening News): "We have an exceptional squad, I say thank you all the time to the club and the organisation for the future and the best players possible to compete.

"We aren't frustrated, it's good that a player like Cristiano Ronaldo is back in England for the Premier League. It's good news."

City were also interested in signing Harry Maguire from Leicester. But the club also decided to withdraw from negotiations due to Leicester's asking price being too high.

At the time, Guardiola admitted that the club simply couldn't afford the defender, meaning they were not willing to pay the required fee.

They also decided against a move to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal, with the Chilean having worked under Guardiola at Barcelona. He also moved to United.

As a result, therefore, City may choose to pull out of the battle to sign Rice if it becomes apparent that West Ham want a fee that they aren't prepared to pay. Having seen their first bid rejected, it will be intriguing to see if they return with a second proposal.