Declan Rice has already made his feelings clear as Arsenal look to complete a £100million transfer for the West Ham captain. Mikel Arteta has identified Rice as his priority target this summer as the Spaniard aims to bolster his midfield.
The Gunners had an initial bid for the 24-year-old rejected after being hopeful of paying a base fee of £80million across the course of six years, with a potential further £10million in add-ons, football.london understands. It is thought that West Ham would like more of the money up front, and that the Europa Conference League champions viewed the add on clauses as unrealistic.
Arsenal are expected to return with an improved £100million bid for Rice, despite interest from other teams. Manchester City have reportedly thrown their hat into the ring for the 24-year-old while Chelsea and Manchester United have shown a desire to sign him. Bayern Munich however, are understood to have cooled their interest.
Arsenal have confidence that a deal can be reached with Rice thought to be committed to completing a switch to the Emirates Stadium and playing for Arteta last term. The England international is clearly a fan of the Spaniard after a telling moment between the Gunners' boss and Hammers' captain following Arsenal's 3-1 win against West Ham last season.
Arteta was on his way to conduct a post-match interview - but not before he embraced Rice as the pair crossed paths. The pair's hug was just about spotted by the television cameras and is now handing Arsenal fans hope that the England international will be lining up for the Gunners soon enough.
Rice was full of praise for Arteta's team following the game. The 24-year-old said: "I think they’re a top team.
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"You can see they're coached incredibly well, the attacking talent, it’s a young squad, they could go the whole way for sure. They’re a good team.
"We tried to stop them first half but it’s really hard. In the end, we come up short and it’s frustrating."
The Hammers skipper is still expected to leave this summer as he goes in search of Champions League football despite Arsenal's first offer being rejected. David Moyes' men are holding out for a huge fee, thought to be north of £100m.
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