Man City's Withdrawal from the Declan Rice Race: Lessons for Arsenal
Manchester City has withdrawn from the race to sign Declan Rice, and it appears that the West Ham captain will be heading to Arsenal this summer.
While the wealth of Man City is evident, they were not willing to meet the £100 million valuation for Rice. This is not the first time Pep Guardiola's team has walked away from a deal when they believed the player's value was inflated. Mirror Football examined 8 other players who were close to joining Man City, and most of them had less than joyful experiences thereafter.
Cristiano Ronaldo
CR7 created excitement by returning to Manchester United, and the Old Trafford faithful chose to overlook his near move to Man City that summer. In the end, it was a forgettable comeback as he left a sour taste during his time at M.U. and went on to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Marc Cucurella
City was the first Premier League club alongside Chelsea to be linked with the left-back from Brighton. The Spanish player's value was at its peak when Man City and Chelsea were vying for his signature, but The Blues won the battle with a £56 million offer.
After a nightmare debut season at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea might regret not losing to Man City to secure his signature.
Harry Maguire
Maguire's time at Man United has been filled with mistakes, but it's easy to forget that Man City also had an interest in him. Pep Guardiola openly admitted that Man City were interested but "couldn't afford" him. The Red Devils won the battle with a record-breaking proposal. Four years later, Maguire is regarded as a failed signing.
Paul Pogba
Pogba's talent is undeniable, even Man City thought so. The Etihad club wanted him before his return to Old Trafford in 2016. He had a lackluster six-year spell at Manchester United. With a £90 million price tag, Pogba eventually returned to Juventus for free last year.
Romelu Lukaku
Man City's intent to sign Lukaku wasn't widely known, but it was the player himself who shed light on their efforts. He said, "I refused an offer from Manchester City. It wasn't the right time, and I wanted to do something good for Inter because they rescued my career. I was in a deep hole at Manchester United, everything was not smooth. I was a big investment for Inter, and we've achieved great things together."
He later joined Chelsea and had another forgettable spell in England.
Timo Werner
Another striker who turned down a chance to play for Man City, opting for Stamford Bridge instead. Guardiola even called Werner to convince him to leave Leipzig for Etihad. The German international might look back on that decision with regret, as Werner has been a subject of mockery during his time at Chelsea. Similar to Lukaku, Werner eventually returned to the club he left.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Napoli's £72 million price tag left Guardiola disappointed. Instead, the Senegalese defender joined Chelsea after his value was reduced by half. However, his time in England lasted only one season before moving to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
Alexis Sanchez
City's Amazon documentary "All or Nothing" revealed their interest in luring Sanchez away from Arsenal in the summer of 2017. However, Sanchez ended up at Old Trafford just four months later. With only 5 goals in one and a half seasons, Sanchez departed soon after.
These examples serve as a reminder that big transfers and high valuations don't always guarantee success, and sometimes clubs are better off without them. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal's pursuit of Declan Rice will follow a similar pattern.
