It appears that Bayern Munich might really be losing faith in its ability to sign West Ham defensive midfielder Declan Rice.
With Arsenal FC jumping to a big lead in the race (at least in the eyes of many observers), the Bavarians might be feeling like this pursuit is a lost cause per The Mirror:
Arsenal have strengthened their lead in the race for Declan Rice after it emerged that Bayern Munich are now concerned over their chances of signing him. Rice, 24, has played his last ever game for West Ham, according to owner David Sullivan, having led the Irons to an historic Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina on Wednesday as captain. Now the England international has his eyes on playing for a Champions League club, which both Arsenal and Bayern are.
The two sides’ interest has been well-documented in recent weeks, with German giants Bayern even holding talks with Rice and his father over a potential £95million move recently. However, Mirror Football understands that that Rice would prefer to remain in the Premier League which hands Arsenal a huge boost.
The Mirror went deeper into why Bayern Munich might be feeling like this is a no-win situation:
As reported by German outlet Ran, Bayern are already losing hope amid manager Thomas Tuchel’s desire to make the 24-year-old his new midfield linchpin. They claim that Rice told West Ham head honcho Sullivan a while ago that he’d be joining Arsenal, who went close to winning the Premier League title last season, only to lose out after a late drop-off in form.
A switch to the Emirates would see the Irons captain remain in London, where his 11-month-old son, Jude, was born and is being raised. The report adds that Bayern’s interest is now merely a one-sided love affair, with Tuchel about to be left heartbroken once the summer transfer window officially opens next Wednesday.
Rice was the target for Bayern Munich and seemingly the player who best fit the profile for what Tuchel wants to do with his squad. Where does Bayern Munich go from here? We took a brief look at the situation here.