Arsenal could break the bank to land West Ham United captain Declan Rice in the summer transfer window.
According to Give Me Sport, Premier League leaders Arsenal could make West Ham United superstar Declan Rice their record purchase in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The English international came through the ranks at Chelsea before being released and moving to West Ham. He found his footing with the Hammers and is today not just the club skipper but also one of the finest midfielders in the league.
The 24-year-old’s contract at the London Stadium expires in 2024. And the upcoming summer represents West Ham’s best chance of securing top dollar for his services. While Arsenal are ready to do so, it would see the Hammers having to sell for an arch-rival.
West Ham boss David Moyes appears to have accepted that his star man will leave sooner or later. However, he is not ready to sell Rice for anything less than the British record fee. Given that Chelsea set the ball rolling with the £107 million deal for Enzo Fernandez last month, Rice will cost at least just as much.
Arsenal are interested and could be forced to pay a club record fee to land their man. Dean Jones believes the Gunners will be ready to do so to strengthen their midfield but will not present West Ham with a blank cheque. It is, after all, one of the areas where Mikel Arteta could do with reinforcements.
The Gunners have once again emerged as a pre-eminent team in English football and are well in the title race. They are, however, largely reliant on a key few players and could do with more strength in depth. Landing Rice won’t just give Arsenal a top-class player in the middle of the park but also a leader who can marshall the side with experience to boot.
Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in the 24-year-old ahead of the summer transfer window. The former, in particular, has shown recently the willingness to throw money at their problems. One would not bet against them to go all out to bring their former protege back home.
Arsenal appeared to have Mykhaylo Mudryk in their grasp before Chelsea swooped in to steal him at the 11th hour. History could repeat itself with Rice in the summer transfer window. Arsenal are better placed than Chelsea to offer Rice UEFA Champions League football next season. It could very well prove to be their salvation.
