We all knew this was coming.
Arsenal are readying a club-record bid to sign Declan Rice after West Ham’s final game of the season.
The Hammers won the Europa Conference League on Wednesday evening, and less than 24 hours after their triumph, Arsenal are coming for their star man.
That is according to The Daily Mail, who report that Arsenal are ready to spend £90m to sign Rice.
Of course, West Ham have set a public pricetag of £120m on Rice’s head, so this bid may not be enough to get a deal done.
It’s no secret that Arsenal are desperate to sign Rice this summer. He’s been named as their top target for months, and with Granit Xhaka seemingly set to leave, there’s a big space waiting for him in this squad.
We all know what Rice is about, he’s a brilliant defensive midfielder who also loves to drive with the ball.
Interestingly, if Rice plays in the Xhaka role at Arsenal, he could well grab himself a few more goals next season.
Described as a ‘very good finisher’ by his West Ham teammate Tomas Soucek, the England international does have the ability to add more goals to his game, and in a Mikel Arteta system where midfielders are encouraged to burst into the box late on, he could thrive.
Sadly for Arsenal, £90m may fall short of what West Ham want for the player, but as Arsenal’s pursuits of the likes of Ben White, Moises Caicedo and Raphinha have shown in recent years, Arsenal aren’t afraid of bidding multiple times for the same player. The Gunners are set to make their move for Rice, and it will be interesting to see if they can get this deal tied up quickly.
