Declan Rice has revealed the main reason why he chose to join Arsenal instead of Manchester City last summer.

The two clubs had been in a tug of war to sign the much revered West Ham and England midfielder in July, with Mail Sport reporting that City ultimately pulled out of the race to land the 25-year-old.

Pep Guardiola’s side were unwilling to stretch to West Ham’s asking price of £105million, with Rice ultimately joining Mikel Arteta’s side, where he has gone on to enjoy a sensational season, leading the Gunners to the top of the Premier League standings.

With a handful of games left to play this season, City and Arsenal will now go head-to-head to win the Premier League title, with just one point separating both sides at the top of the table.

Rice will be hoping to lead his side to glory this season and has insisted that his decision to move to the north London outfit is one that he has no regrets over.

Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Rice was asked about the hypothetical scenario that if he had joined the Treble winners, he could have been playing alongside Rodri in midfield.

‘I know,’ he said. ‘But this project [Arsenal] seemed more exciting and that’s why I chose to come to Arsenal, because I believe we’re on to big things here.’

He has been integral to Arsenal’s performances this season, with Rice scoring six goals in 35 Premier League appearances, guiding Arteta’s side to the top of the table.

Rodri, meanwhile, has continued to impress following on from his standout 2022-23 season, helping Man City keep the pressure on Arsenal this season.

Rice also added that he relished his battles with the Spaniard’s battles in the centre of the park, noting their different styles of play while claiming that the City midfielder was the best in the world at his craft.

‘Good. I enjoy it,’ he said when quizzed on what it’s like to play against Rodri. ‘We’re different players, I feel.

‘With Rodri, he was born in Spain, he’s always been a natural No 6. You can just tell by the way he plays that he’s worked under Pep (Guardiola) for so long.

‘He’s a lot more structured than I am. I’d say I’m a lot more off-the-cuff. Obviously, this season I’ve been more structured. But in terms of the way I play, I feel like… being free a little bit more.

The England midfielder added: ‘There are different things that we complement each other on — but no doubt, he’s the best in the world.’

In April last year, Arsenal, who had gone top of the Premier League standings, conceded three draws to Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, before suffering a 4-1 defeat by Man City.

It was during those four matches that Arsenal effectively surrendered what would have been their first league title since 2004 to City.

This season, Rice has helped Arsenal motor their way back to the top of the league but will need Man City to drop points in the run-in if they are to finally end their wait for a league title.

Should both Arsenal and City win the remainder of their matches, the Gunners will finish two points behind Guardiola’s side in second place.

Arteta’s side host Bournemouth in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off at the Emirates this weekend, before taking on Man United at Old Trafford and Everton at home on the final day of the season.

City, meanwhile, are in action against Wolves on Saturday evening, before taking on Fulham, Tottenham and West Ham.

With things heating up at the top of the table, Rodri has insisted his side will do everything in their power to win their fourth consecutive Premier League title.

‘It would be history. No team has won four Premier League titles in a row and we want to be the first,’ he said.

‘We need to keep those blue ribbons on the trophy and we will do everything we can from now until the end of the season to do that.’