According to journalist Robin Bairner, Chelsea could beat Arsenal in the race to sign West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer.
The Blues have had a horrendous Premier League campaign and they are currently languishing 10th in the table, already 11 points behind the Champions League positions.
The club are a staggering 29 points behind their London counterparts Arsenal, who are top of the league but they are still planning to beat the Gunners to the signature of Rice.
Writing for Football Transfers, Bairner has said that Chelsea could price Arsenal out of a move for Rice this summer, similar to what they did with Mykhailo Mudryk in January.
Hijack
Arsenal were in constant discussions to sign Mudryk from Shakhtar in January but Chelsea hijacked the deal out of nowhere after agreeing to meet the transfer demands.
The Blues could consider another repeat with Rice. The England star started off in Chelsea’s youth academy but he was released as a 14-year-old before he made the move to West Ham.
Chelsea have since been linked with Rice on numerous occasions and this summer could be the perfect opportunity to sign him, considering he is eyeing a bigger challenge.
The midfielder has rejected multiple contract proposals and the Hammers have been touted to sell him for £80 million amid the high profile interest from Arsenal and Chelsea.
Arsenal have been regarded as favourites with their expected return to the Champions League but Chelsea are unlikely to give up on one of their long-term targets without a fight.
The club are currently backed by wealthy owners, who have spent freely and they could hijack the Gunners’ pursuit of Rice by proposing to pay a much higher transfer fee.
We have already seen that Arsenal don’t like to pay over the odds for any player and Chelsea could take advantage of their policy to reunite with their academy graduate.
