Arsenal's pursuit of Declan Rice has taken a step closer to completion as a summer transfer bid is prepared ahead of the transfer window opening. football.london understands that the 24-year-old is a top priority for the north London outfit in the upcoming market, but as with the cases of Lisandro Martinez and Mykhailo Mudryk, they will not be drawn into a bidding war for the player.
It comes as Mikel Arteta looks to shuffle his midfield option in the coming weeks, with Rice just one of a number of options linked with a move. Moises Caicedo, Mason Mount and Ilkay Gundogan are just a few other names that join the West Ham captain in being monitored by the Gunners.
With two-years left on the England international's deal, a move seems likely as any value he may hold in the market may fall with any less time and would leave the Hammers in a weaker negotiating position. While that will certainly be in mind, the current thought process may be surrounding celebration instead.
Rice helped guide West Ham to a first major trophy in 43-years on Wednesday night as he and the side went on to win the Europa Conference League final. A 90th minute Jarrod Bowen finish sealed a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina and could mark the perfect end to the captain's time with the club.
The midfielder broke his silence on a move this summer after the game, telling BT Sport: "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."
READ MORE: Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: Declan Rice goodbye, Lionel Messi move, Caicedo deal
The passing of the final does mean that a move from Arsenal for Rice has moved one step closer though as reports claimed that his future will be decided after the huge clash. Fabrizio Romano claimed prior to the match that the Gunners will be preparing a bid for after the events of the final transpired, so full focus on his future could be held.
It remains to be seen if the north London outfit will be able to match the reported £120million valuation set by West Ham in the summer window. However, the passing of the key match means that the transfer work for Rice can well and truly begin to play out.
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