Report: Arsenal ready to pay £92m for ‘world class’ player now, a bid is being prepared

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Arsenal are stepping up their interest in Declan Rice as we head into the summer transfer window.

Indeed, it was reported by Fabrizio Romano on Tuesday that an official bid was likely to go in for Rice in the coming weeks, and now, The Telegraph report that the Gunners are lining up a staggering £92m bid for Rice.

It has been reported for quite some time that the West Ham midfielder is the north London club’s top target heading into the summer, and now, Arsenal are prepared to break their transfer record for him.

As many will remember, Arsenal’s current transfer record stands at £72m for Nicolas Pepe, and a £92m deal for Rice would blow that out of the water.

Unfortunately for Arsenal, even this deal may not be enough to guarantee the ‘world class’ midfielder’s signature.

Indeed, Sky Sports report that West Ham want around £120m for Rice, while Arsenal are offering a structured deal worth £92m, and even then the whole fee is not up front.

This is certainly a statement of intent from the Gunners as they look to make sure they’re once again in the title picture this time next year, and breaking your transfer record is certainly one way to show the rest of the Premier League that you mean business.

With Manchester United and Chelsea also reportedly keen on Rice, it will be interesting to see how Arsenal’s rivals react to this opening bid, but with the Gunners making the first move, one has to imagine that they are in pole position for the England international’s signature this summer.

This is going to be a very exciting transfer window for Arsenal, and the first chess pieces on Edu’s board are already starting to make some serious moves.