8 Players Who Snubbed Guardiola’s Man City and Regretted It As Rice Nears Arsenal Move

• West Ham midfielder Declan Rice is close to completing a sensational move to Arsenal
• The Gunners’ third bid worth £105m was accepted after two previous bids were rejected
• Manchester City tested the waters with £90m even though the player’s preference was the Emirates Stadium

West Ham rejected a £90m bid from Manchester City for Declan Rice and accepted Arsenal’s £105m, having previously rejected two offers from the Gunners.

Rice prefers a move to the Emirates Stadium regardless of what the Premier League champions are offering to West Ham and now has his wish as he is set to complete the move this week.

Sports Brief looks at eight players who have chosen other destinations ahead of Pep Guardiola’s City and regretted it, as first analysed by Mirror UK.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo was set to quit Juventus in 2021 and had offers from City, but former club Manchester United turned his head and he sealed a return to Old Trafford. The move did not go well for the two parties. His contract was mutually terminated in January after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, and he joined Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

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2. Marc Cucurella

According to The Athletic, Brighton rejected the Citizens’ £30m bid for the Spanish defender before Chelsea swooped him for £62m, including add-ons. His first season was underwhelming, albeit not his fault, as the club generally had a poor outing. The Blues could cut their losses on him if an offer of £30m arrives.

3. Harry Maguire

Maguire’s stock rose after the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Jose Mourinho wanted him at United, while Guardiola wanted him at the Etihad. He joined the Red Devils for a world-record £80m in 2019 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it has been a terrible move for both parties.

4. Paul Pogba

The treble winners wanted the France international before his £89m move to Old Trafford in 2016. He did not have the best time at the club and rejoined Juventus on a free transfer after six years in England.

5. Romelu Lukaku

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A year after leaving United to join Inter Milan, Lukaku was eyed by City, but he wanted to win something for Nerazzurri before considering moving away. He joined Chelsea for £97.5m a year after, and it has been a chaotic affair between the two.

6. Timo Werner

The quick German forward rejected the move to Etihad Stadium despite a phone call from Pep. He joined Chelsea instead, and even though he won the UEFA Champions League, he returned to his former club RB Leipzig after two years at Stamford Bridge.

7. Kalidou Koulibaly

Top European clubs courted the big Senegalese defender during his time at Napoli, Man City was one of them. According to SportBible, City’s official website mistakenly advertised Koulibaly when they signed Ruben Dias. He joined Chelsea last summer but left for Saudi Arabia last week.

8. Alexis Sanchez

Another one who ditched the blue side of Manchester for the red side and regretted it. United were forced to cut their losses on the Chilean forward, and he joined Inter Milan after 18 months, where he earned a whopping £450,000 per week.

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Aluko’s bizarre Rice transfer claim

Sports Brief reported that broadcaster Eniola Aluko made a bizarre claim on Manchester City’s interest in Declan Rice, claiming it was not a genuine one.

The former player claimed it was just Guardiola helping his former assistant Mikel Arteta in a bid to get Arsenal bosses to get his wanted player for him. City withdrew after seeing their first offer rejected.