Manchester City made enquiries about the status of a Declan Rice deal on Friday, as Arsenal prepare to discuss a new bid for the midfielder.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester City asked again for the status of a Declan Rice deal on Friday, with Arsenal keen to close the transfer of the West Ham United midfielder.

The Gunners have already had one bid turned down, and they’re preparing to discuss a second offer, with personal terms almost agreed.

But City are evidently lurking, and West Ham will be keen to ensure they get as much money as possible from the transfer.

One thing reportedly holding City up at the moment is that they’re still waiting on a decision from Ilkay Gundogan.

City’s club captain, Gundogan’s future is uncertain, with no new deal agreed to remain in Manchester and his current contract expiring at the end of the month.

Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in Gundogan, though he has a number of other options. If any of them come to fruition, City will have a spot to fill in their midfield this summer.

That could cause them to push harder on a deal for Rice, but for now, that’s just speculation.

Reports earlier in the week suggested Arsenal were preparing a second bid for Rice worth over £100m, when including add-ons.

At the time, it was claimed that the offer would go in imminently, but there’s been no confirmation that has happened yet.

But it wasn’t just the fee that caused West Ham to reject Arsenal’s first bid. The payment schedule and the likelihood of add-ons being triggered remain obstacles to overcome before the two clubs can agree on a deal.

The Hammers want shorter payment terms than Arsenal had initially offered, and they want all add-ons to be realistically achievable.