Declan Rice: Pep Guardiola Shares Details Why Midfielder Snubbed Man City to Join Arsenal

• Declan Rice was the subject of an intense transfer battle pitting top EPL clubs
• Man City are said to have offered West Ham United £80 million to sign the midfielder
• However, Rice eventually joined Arsenal, with the north Londoners forking out £105m to sign him

Pep Guardiola has finally opened up on Manchester City's failed pursuit to sign Declan Rice during the summer.

Rice was the subject of an intense transfer battle pitting top Premier League clubs, including Man United, Liverpool, City, and Arsenal.

City are said to have launched an £80 million bid to sign the England international from West Ham United.

However, the proposed transfer move failed to materialise, with the midfield maestro finally joining rivals Arsenal.

Sky Sports reports that the Gunners splashed out an eyewatering £105 million to snap up Rice from their London rivals.

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Why Rice joined Arsenal

Guardiola was recently put to task on why City failed to sign Rice, who was one of their key transfer targets.

According to the Spaniard, the reigning English champions were desperate to sign the former West Ham ace, but they were not keen to engage in a bidding war with the Gunners.

"For sure everybody knows City wanted him, we wanted him. He could play not just when Rodri could not," Pep said via Metro UK.

"At the end, Arsenal pushed more and wanted him more, maybe Arteta was more convincing than me, or the club itself, or their offer. We could afford it maybe less, that’s why," he added.

Rice has gone on to enjoy a bright start to life at the Emirates with his outstanding performances, cementing his place as an integral squad member for Mikel Arteta.

City, meanwhile, went on to sign Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, as part of their plan to strengthen the midfield after the exit of Ilkay Gundogan.

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Guardiola surpasses Ferguson's UCL record

Sports Brief reported on Guardiola surpassing Ferguson's UCL record after City beat RB Leipzig 3-1 to maintain a perfect start to the defence of their title.

It was the 103rd win of Guardiola's Champions League career, surpassing Sir Alex Ferguson's 102. Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti holds the record for most wins with 108.