Declan Rice could be playing his penultimate game for West Ham this Sunday. The Hammers midfielder is being strongly linked with an exit in the summer transfer window and for Arsenal, as football.london have reported since the end of January, he is their top target to sign ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Interest from the Gunners has been questioned on numerous occasions, but in every crucial game during the latter stages of this campaign, Rice has delivered an emphatic answer. West Ham had been locked in a relegation battle for most of the season, but the 24-year-old has inspired his team to several excellent results that significantly lessened their relegation concerns.
In the 2-2 draw against Arsenal, Rice was pivotal in leading the comeback while he also helped prevent Manchester United from scoring in a 1-0 victory which virtually secured safety for David Moyes' side. While the pressure has been on in domestic action, West Ham have also been competing in the Europa Conference League, with Rice as an integral figure.
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In the 4-1 quarter-final second leg victory against Genk, Rice was on target, with that goal followed on by strikes against Bournemouth and Leeds, firmly answering Roy Keane's goal scoring request. West Ham now have a European final to look forward too on Wednesday, June 7 against Fiorentina.
First, Rice and his team-mates will be playing a key role in deciding who is relegated from the Premier League as they travel to Leicester on the final day of the season. The Foxes are joined by Everton and Leeds as the teams fighting to avoid the drop, after West Ham's survival was mathematically confirmed a few weeks ago.
The clash will likely see him come up against Youri Tielemans in the centre of the pitch. The Belgian midfielder is another player expected to be on the move this summer with his contract expiring in just over a month. At the beginning of the season, Tielemans was Arsenal's main target with a free transfer move appearing likely at the end of the season.
However, the Gunners' superb season with a young squad has seen their transfer priorities shift. Rice is now the desired target for Mikel Arteta and Edu, and he has the chance to prove exactly why that decision was made by the club on Sunday afternoon.
West Ham are demanding £120million for their skipper, while the Telegraph are reporting that a £92million bid is being prepared by Arsenal, but no formal offer will be sent until after the Europa Conference League final.
A turbulent season for Leicester has Tielemans endure a difficult campaign, while Rice has been an obvious mainstay in the Hammers team and in 90 minutes of football he has the opportunity to further showcase the reason for Arsenal's major transfer plan change.
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