The Gunners value the West Ham skipper at £90million (Picture: Getty Images)
Arsenal will step up their pursuit of West Ham captain Declan Rice after the Hammers’ Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, according to reports.
The 24-year-old is at the centre of one of this summer’s biggest transfer tug-of-wars, with Bayern Munich and Manchester United also trying to prise him out of east London.
Right now, Rice is only focused on beating Fiorentina in Prague in two days’ time, but as soon as the final is over his agent can expect to be very busy.
According to the Evening Standard, the Gunners will intensify their efforts to sign the midfielder at the backend of this week and are ready to make a first offer.
West Ham value their skipper at around £120million and want to exact a British record fee, but Arsenal are hoping to strike a deal at around the £90m mark.
Regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s match, the Irons are willing to let Rice leave if that is his wish and are resigned to losing him.
Although West Ham can qualify for next season’s Europa League by beating Fiorentina, Rice is keen to test himself in the Champions League – something Arsenal, United and Bayern can all offer.
Arteta is eager to secure a deal for Rice this summer (Picture: Getty)
Personal terms are not expected to be a problem and the prospect of being able to stay in London is thought to give Arsenal a slim advantage in the race for Rice’s signature.
Bayern have also launched a massive charm offensive to try and lure the midfielder to Bavaria, but Rice would prefer to stay in the Premier League.
The former Chelsea academy player appreciates the interest from the Bundesliga giants – with manager Thomas Tuchel personally calling him on the phone to discuss a move – but would rather explore a switch to Arsenal or United first.
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Rice is Mikel Arteta’s number one target to strengthen his midfield, with the Arsenal boss also keen to bring in Manchester City contract rebel Ilkay Gundogan in an effort to close the gap at the top of the table.
United boss Erik ten Hag is also looking to bolster his midfield options and is a big fan of Rice, with suggestions he could use Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire as makeweights in any potential deal.
With the Red Devils prioritising a move for a top-level, proven goalscorer, they will not have the funds to pay West Ham’s £120m asking price so will have to explore potential player-exchange opportunities – though it remains to be seen if the Hammers would want either player.
MORE : Chelsea could rival Arsenal for Moises Caicedo after pulling out of Manuel Ugarte deal
MORE : Manchester United to trump Arsenal’s bid for Declan Rice by offering players in part-exchange
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The Gunners value the West Ham skipper at £90million.
