Arsenal are reportedly ready to break the bank to sign Liverpool target and West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer, as per Football Insider.
The 24-year-old – who has entered the final 15 months of his current contract – is reportedly keen on playing in the Champions League so he has rejected several contract proposals to sign an extension with David Moyes’ side. Therefore, it is increasingly likely that he will leave the London Stadium at the end of this season to take the next step in his career.
Arsenal and Liverpool are looking to take advantage of this situation and sign the midfielder this summer. However, West Ham have made it clear that they aren’t going to let their star man leave for cheap and want more than £100m.
But, according to the report by Football Insider, Arsenal are ready to match the Hammers’ asking price and they are ‘confident’ that they will be able to purchase the highly-rated midfielder if they win the Premier League title this season.
Battle
The report further claims that Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Rice and the Gunners’ boss has earmarked the Englishman as the priority target to strengthen the midfield.
However, Football Insider says that Arsenal are set to face tough competition from Liverpool in getting any potential deal done for Rice as the Reds are also plotting a summer swoop.
It has widely been suggested that Liverpool are looking for a squad overhaul this summer and revamping the midfield is high on Jurgen Klopp’s wish-list. They have been linked with numerous options in recent times with Rice now emerging as a serious target.
The Liverpool boss has recently said that the Merseyside club will be busy in the upcoming summer window and they will spend big to strengthen the squad.
Rice has already showcased his talent in the Premier League and on the international stage as well. So, he would be a great coup for Arsenal or Liverpool if either club can manage to get a deal done at the end of this season.
It is going to be interesting to see who will win the race to sign the Englishman should both Arsenal and Liverpool decide to make a concrete approach this summer.
