Arsenal have been quoted a price by West Ham if they want to sign Declan Rice, according to reports.
The Irons skipper is apparently the priority signing for the Gunners this summer, following the failed pursuit of Brighton & Hove Albion star, Moises Caicedo. It is believed that manager Mikel Arteta wants another defensive midfielder to compete with Thomas Partey long-term.
Arsenal's four losses in all competitions this season have come without the Ghanaian on the field. Jorginho was signed from Chelsea last month but with the Italian on an 18-month deal, Arteta wants to address the position longer term.
While reports have suggested £90million could be enough to agree a deal for West Ham captain Rice, however, TalkSPORT claims that the east Londoners will set the asking price at £120m.
Such an eye-watering figure would be a British record – beating January's deal that saw Enzo Fernandez join Chelsea – but would also see Rice become the most expensive English footballer of all time.
Thankfully for Arsenal, such a figure seems a little unlikely. Rice is out of contract in 2024 and with West Ham struggling this season in the Premier League, it is unlikely that the club will reject significant bids for a player who has reportedly turned down three contract offers and stated his desire to play Champions League football, rather than address their squad needs.
“One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” Rice told reporters during the World Cup late last year.
“For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that. I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies. You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Rice is valued at €80m by Transfermarkt.
More Arsenal stories
Despite Mikel Arteta's pride in his players, the Arsenal manager's defeat at Goodison Park has extended a curse.
Interest in Declan Rice is ramping up, while Folarin Balogun's form on loan is posing interesting questions for Arteta.
