According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are confident of beating Chelsea in the race to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer.
The Gunners have had an extraordinary Premier League season and they are currently five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table with 12 games to play.
Irrespective of what happens to their title charge, Arsenal look set to be playing in the Champions League next season. This should boost their prospects of signing elite players.
The Times recently reported that Rice is the top summer target for Arsenal and speaking to Givemesport, Jacobs has said that the London giants are confident of landing him.
He said: “The priority for Arsenal does remain midfield, at this point, and they are confident on Declan Rice. They know that they are likely to go head-to-head with Chelsea there and my understanding is that Rice would like to stay in London.”
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Arsenal tried to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion in the last transfer window but the Seagulls had no plans of parting ways with the Ecuadorian star.
Mikel Arteta’s side ended up landing Jorginho from Chelsea but the Italian should be considered as a stop-gap option as the club will target another marquee signing.
With Caicedo having signed a new contract at Brighton, Arsenal could now prioritise the transfer of Rice, who has his sights on winning trophies at a bigger club.
Rice also talked about playing in the Champions League earlier this season. This should boost Arsenal’s chances of signing the 24-year-old ahead of London rivals Chelsea.
Chelsea are long-term admirers of Rice who was in their youth academy but they may not even be playing in Europe next season with the way they have performed lately.
Rice will enter the final year of his West Ham contract this summer but the club have the option to extend for another 12 months. He is likely to cost around £80 million.
