West Ham chairman David Sullivan has confirmed that Declan Rice "has to" have played his last game for the club ahead of the summer transfer window. The 24-year-old continues to be linked with a move away from the Hammers, with two-years remaining on his contract.
Arsenal are one of the sides that have been heavily linked, as football.london understands that Rice has been made a top priority for the Gunners. While the midfielder is a key target, the side won't be drawn into a bidding war with other teams, as seen with sagas surrounding Mykhailo Mudryk and Lisandro Martinez.
That could end up being a factor if Manchester United and Bayern Munich act on their interest, with the midfielder reported to be on their radar too. For Mikel Arteta though, it could be the perfect chance to revamp his central ranks to make another push for the Premier League title.
One key obstacle that stopped an early bid at this stage was the Hammers' involvement in European competition, reaching the final of the Europa Conference League. Rice captained the side in Prague on Wednesday night, where they ran out 2-1 winners over Fiorentina to lift the trophy.
Rice was coy over his future in discussion with BT Sport after the clash, saying: "Look at the moment, there's obviously a lot of speculation going on about my future. Obviously there is interest from other clubs, that's out there, but ultimately I still have two-years left at West Ham.
"I love this club, I love playing for this club, there hasn't been nothing yet, so look my focus is playing for West Ham, enjoying tonight and seeing what happens. I'm captain of this club, I absolutely love it to pieces, I cannot speak highly enough of this place and let's just see what happens."
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While Rice has certainly not closed the door on a possibility of staying at West Ham, his club's chairman David Sullivan may well have given the game away. Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: "I think it has to be [Rice's final game for West Ham]. We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going.
"You can’t ask for a man who has committed more to us this season. In due course, he has to get on and we have to get a replacement – or several replacements.
"It’s not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000-a-week 18 months ago. He turned it down. It’s cost him £10million to stay at West Ham in that time (in lost wages). And he wants to go. You can’t keep a player who doesn’t want to be there."
It remains to be seen whether that could impact any discussions surrounding an exit, given the huge £120million price tag that has been set on Rice. For Arsenal though, it may be the green light they need to pursue a deal this summer, with reports of a bid being prepared.
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