MANCHESTER CITY have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice, clearing the way for Arsenal to seal a deal.
Pep Guardiola’s men saw a £90m offer rejected by West Ham earlier this week.
And the Gunners’ third bid now looks to have finally seen off competition from the Premier League champions.
But City are no strangers to forcing rival clubs into paying more for their targets.
Manchester United and Chelsea have both been on the receiving end of a bidding war with those at the Etihad.
Here are six examples of Man City ramping up the price of a player by getting involved in a bidding war.
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Fred – Transfer to Man Utd for £52m
Brazilian international Fred was reportedly set to join Man City in 2018 when they agreed a £44.5m deal with Shakhtar Donetsk.
In the end, he ended up moving to the red side of Manchester when United trumped their rivals with a £50m bid.
And while the midfielder has racked up more than 200 appearances for the Red Devils, many supporters would argue he is yet to repay his substantial transfer fee.
Jorginho – Transfer to Chelsea for £50m
Many forget Jorginho was once on the verge of a move to the Etihad.
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The Italian, 31, who has since left Chelsea for Arsenal, looked set to leave Napoli for Man City in 2018 as the Sky Blues closed in on a £46.5m deal.
This forced Chelsea into eclipsing them with a late £50m offer as they hijacked City’s negotiations with the midfielder.
But Guardiola waited patiently for 12 months, before snapping up Rodri the following summer – with the Spaniard going on to star for the English champions.
Harry Maguire – Transfer to Man Utd for £80m
Harry Maguire was a wanted man in the summer of 2019 as he prepared to leave Leicester.
Man City were interested in acquiring the England international, but refused to exceed £65m.
United then paid a considerable amount more than their city rivals – clinching a record £80m deal.
And it’s safe to say it has not worked out for Maguire, who has struggled for form since joining four years ago.
He looks set to depart Old Trafford this summer after spending much of last season on the bench.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Transfer to Man Utd for £12.9m
Cristiano Ronaldo returned for a second stint with Manchester United in 2021.
But not before he was heavily linked with a STUNNING move to Man City.
Guardiola’s side were reportedly offered the opportunity to sign the Portuguese legend, before United swooped in to offer Juventus £12.9m for the man who was entering the final year of his contract.
He scored 27 goals in 54 appearances during his spell back in England, but ultimately ended up leaving in difficult circumstances as the club ripped up his deal following an astonishing interview with Piers Morgan.
Alexis Sanchez – Swap deal to Man Utd for Henrikh Mkyhitaryan
Alexis Sanchez joined Man Utd in 2018 after Arsenal agreed a swap deal for Henrikh Mykhitaryan to go the other way.
But Man City’s interest in the Chilean forced United into offering the player an astonishing £500,000-a-week salary.
This was nearly DOUBLE the £290,000-a-week City were prepared to pay Sanchez.
But Guardiola’s men had the last laugh as he bagged just five goals in 45 games for United before leaving for Inter in 2020.
Declan Rice – Transfer to Arsenal for £105m
Rice looks set to become the latest player to sign for one of Man City’s Premier League rivals – after the Sky Blues had jacked up the price.
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City’s £90m bid was rejected by West Ham, shortly before Arsenal then stormed in with a £105m offer.
It remains to be seen whether he will be a success at the Emirates, but there is no denying the Gunners have had to fork over a remarkable fee to secure his services ahead of City.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
