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- Aluko defends punditry on Rice deal
- Hits out at Paddy Kenny
- Rice set to move to Arsenal
WHAT HAPPENED? Aluko has once again hit out at criticism of her theory that Manchester City were never really interested in signing Declan Rice but were simply used by Mikel Arteta to get Arsenal to make funds available for the transfer. The pundit has slammed Paddy Kenny in a message the former Premier League goalkeeper shared on social media.
WHAT THEY SAID: "What I said re Rice to Arsenal and City interest ie exactly what happened and if you were such a smart person you'd be able to tell me whether it happened or didn't. And you can't," wrote Aluko. "There's no hope for you. Keep going on platforms talking about being stoned on the pitch, you clown. You're allowed your opinion but questioning why I get airtime only exposes you as a jealous idiot who can't get airtime himself and when he does get airtime on God knows what podcast, talks about getting stoned. Very stupid."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Aluko has previously hit back at online trolls and insisted her theory is correct, with Arsenal set to win the race for Rice. The Gunners are set to pay an initial £100 million ($127m) to West Ham for Rice, plus £5m ($6.4m) in add-ons.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Rice is expected to be announced as a new Arsenal player shortly. The Gunners are then due to play a pre-season friendly against Nurnberg on Thursday, July 13 before heading to the United States for a tour.