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Arsenal face Mykhaylo Mudryk repeat as board 'decide maximum they'll spend on Declan Rice'
Arsenal will have already made a decision on how much they will be willing to spend on Declan Rice, it has been claimed.
Arsenal may face a repeat of the Mykhaylo Mudryk saga with Declan Rice, according to Alan Smith. The former Gunners striker claims he has spoken to members of the club's board and they will have already decided the maximum amount they will offer for the West Ham captain.
Rice is Arsenal's No 1 target this summer but fellow top sides in England, as well as German giants Bayern Munich, are also interested. West Ham won't stand in his way of leaving in the upcoming transfer window.
However, the Hammers are hoping to get up to £120million for the England international. Smith does not think Rice is worth that amount, claiming he is "not a match-winner".
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.
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"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."
But if West Ham do hold out for that amount, Smith can see Arsenal pulling out of a deal. Gunners chiefs decided against paying the £88m Shakhtar Donetsk wanted for Mudryk in January, allowing Chelsea to sneak in and secure his signature.
Smith has held conversations with people involved in transfers at Arsenal. He claims they will have already made a decision on how much they would be willing to spend on Rice and would not be willing to budge, even if it meant losing him to a rival team.
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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."
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