Arsenal are reportedly keen on beating Chelsea in the race to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, as per the transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Gunners have been exploring the possibility of strengthening their engine room since last summer. However, having failed to broker a deal for a new midfielder at the start of this season, Mikel Arteta’s side tried to reinforce the midfield in the January window.
They identified Moises Caicedo as their primary target and submitted two official bids worth up to £70m. But Brighton & Hove Albion were reluctant to let the Ecuadorian leave and rejected both offers despite the player handing in a transfer request.
After missing out on purchasing Caicedo, Arsenal were forced to explore alternative targets and ended up signing Jorginho from Chelsea on deadline day. However, the 31-year-old appears to be a short-term addition as he has signed an 18-month contract with an option to extend the deal for one more year.
So, it has widely been suggested that the north London club are expected to add more depth to their midfield next summer and Rice’s name has been mentioned as a serious target.
Battle
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has claimed that Arsenal ‘would love’ to sign Rice for next season and they want him more than ‘anybody else’.
Jones said:
“Declan Rice is the one that they [Arsenal] would love and the one that they would choose above anybody else.”
However, it was previously reported that Arsenal are set to face tough competition in getting this deal done as London rivals Chelsea are also eager to purchase the England international.
Rice has earlier expressed his desire to play in the Champions League and therefore he wants to leave David Moyes’ side following the conclusion of this season to take the next step in his career.
But, Chelsea’s place in Europe’s elite club competition for next season is in jeopardy as they are currently languishing down in 9th position in the table. So, Premier League leaders Arsenal are seemingly in an advantageous position to sign Rice in the summer.
The Englishman’s current contract is set to expire within 18 months and there is an option to extend the deal for one more year. So, West Ham are in a solid position to demand a big fee to sell the midfielder and it has been reported that the player’s potential suitors such as Arsenal and Chelsea are hoping to get this deal done for a fee of around £70m.
Rice would be a statement signing and he would definitely strengthen the Gunners’ engine room if he were to join the club. So, it is going to be interesting to see whether Arsenal will be able to beat Chelsea in the race to sign the highly talented midfielder if he leaves the London Stadium in the summer.
