Arsenal are said to have made Declan Rice their no.1 target for the summer transfer window, with the West Ham captain nearing an exit. The England international has continued to impress across all competitions for club and country but with a dwindling contract, a move is likely.
"They are a top team," Rice said earlier this season when asked about the Gunners. "You can see they are coached incredibly well, have a lot of attacking talent, a young squad and they can go the whole way for sure."
It's a glowing review and clearly shows the steps Arsenal have made in recent seasons, especially being able to target a player like Rice. However, one question that will be pondered is whether the Gunners will want to push out a club-record transfer bid, with reports claiming a price of £100million has been set - with the current record standing at £72million for Nicolas Pepe.
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Another question to be asked is where he will fit into Mikel Arteta's system going forward, given how well drilled it is with the existing players. Former Arsenal star Ray Parlour believes that the England international won't get into the first-team ahead of Thomas Partey.
Speaking to NetBet Sports Betting, Parlour said: "Yeah absolutely he's [Declan Rice] a top player but [Thomas] Partey has been brilliant in the midfield. I mean, look, if you get Declan Rice does he play in front of Partey at the moment? You know it's a situation where it's a big decision the manager has to make, but you need big players in your team throughout the season.
"If you're going for the Champions League and you're playing in the league, FA Cup, there are so many games, so you need to rotate your squad at times, but Partey has been very important for Arsenal. Over the years, he has been injured on occasions and he's missed quite big chunks of the season.
“As I said before, we need a midfielder and if Declan Rice wants to stay in London look I'm sure Chelsea will be straight in as well. There have been rumours that he was always gonna go to Chelsea, I'm sure every single team in the Premier League and around the world will be looking at Declan Rice, and saying, 'well we wouldn't mind having him'. But I hope he stays in the Premier League.”
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