Declan Rice answers Bayern Munich's call! Thomas Tuchel makes contact with West Ham star as transfer pursuit with Arsenal gathers pace

• Tuchel made contact with Rice
• Bayern submit £95m proposal
• Arsenal still in the race

WHAT HAPPENED? The Bundesliga champions have been linked with the England international for quite some time, with West Ham set to part ways with Rice if their demands are met. According to Sky Germany, the Bayern Munich manager called Rice directly to discuss a potential transfer, which opened the door for the club to "intensify their efforts" to sign the 24-year-old. Rice is said to be open to joining Bayern as both the player and the manager "appreciate" each other.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that Bayern are preparing an official bid of around £95m. However, the Hammers believe Rice is worth more than that and are prepared to reject their opening bid.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Despite Bayern's efforts, Arsenal still feature strongly in the transfer race. Mikel Arteta is also a huge admirer of the midfielder and wants him to be a vital piece of the jigsaw at the Emirates Stadium next season, with Granit Xhaka set to depart. It was earlier revealed by the Mirror that Rice's preferred destination remains Arsenal, but it is not yet known how much they are willing to pay to get his signature.

WHAT NEXT FOR RICE? There is little doubt that it will be an exciting saga that might ultimately come down to which club is willing to stretch its finances the most to sign the player. West Ham remain clear that they want £120m (€137.76/ $150m) for Rice and it remains to be seen if Arsenal or Bayern can match their asking price.