Arsenal had to fight off plenty of competition for Declan Rice’s signature this summer, with many top clubs showing an interest in him.

Arsenal completed the signing of Declan Rice from West Ham United on Saturday, with the midfielder joining on a five-plus-one-year deal for a fee of £100m plus £5m in potential add-on payments.

But the saga wasn’t without its twists and turns. The Telegraph report that Graham Potter tried to convince Chelsea to move for Rice in the January transfer window, and that was a sign of things to come in the summer.

The Athletic write that Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel was a fan of Rice and keen to bring him to Germany this summer, but was always aware that Arsenal had the lead in the race.

The Athletic also confirm that there was weight to the reports that Manchester United could offer cash plus players for Rice, with various players potentially of interest to West Ham.

United didn’t have the finances to do the deal outright, and ultimately their attempt at a player swap proved unsuccessful.

Of course, Manchester City were the most notable rival suitor for Rice’s signature, making a bid worth a total of £90m to try and fend Arsenal off.

Arsenal were initially dismayed at City entering the race, but The Athletic claim City never received any encouragement from Rice’s camp to match Arsenal’s subsequent third bid, so they pulled out of the race.

In the end, Arsenal have landed their man despite all of that interest from Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Manchester City.

Even Liverpool have been credited with an interest, but they reportedly avoided getting too involved as they were focusing on Jude Bellingham – who joined Real Madrid.

It was seemingly vital for Arsenal to convince Rice himself, to ensure he would opt for them if push came to shove, putting off rival bidders.

“From what I hear, Arteta in those meetings with Rice was incredibly compelling,” James McNicholas said on Saturday.

“He convinced the player he had a very plan not just for the team but for his own individual development, for the player Rice could become and what that could mean for his career and legacy.

“They also said ‘Look, this club is going places, this is where Arsenal are headed, are you coming along?’ and in the end, from what I hear Rice had no alternative. He could not let this opportunity pass him by even when City reared their head.”

And for anyone who has followed Arsenal’s coverage of the transfer, there’s little sense that the midfielder regrets his decision.

Rice has spoken about wanting to spend his “best years” with the Gunners, and to “get Arsenal back to the big time”, which will be music to the fans’ ears.