West Ham United captain Declan Rice appeared emotional as David Moyes' side won the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The Hammers defeated Fiorentina 2-1 in Wednesday's final thanks to goals from Said Benrahma and a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen winner. It is the first time that the east Londoners' have lifted a trophy in over 40 years and it could very well be the final time Rice dons the claret and blue shirt, a fitting send-off if he is to leave this summer.
Writing on Twitter alongside a photo of Rice, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said: "Fantastic night for West Ham fans… and for Declan Rice who captains his team to European trophy. (Star emoji)
"#WHUFC It’s probably the best final step possible for Declan, fantastic years at the club… now ready to make his move. Arsenal, ahead of Bayern. But tonight, time to enjoy. (Trophy emoji)."
As football.london revealed back in January, Rice is Arsenal's priority target for the summer transfer window as Mikel Arteta looks to upgrade his options in midfield. football.london understands that the Gunners are confident they have a strong offer for Rice but feel that it will ultimately come down to the player to decide amid interest from a host of other elite European sides, including Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
The north London outfit are keen to avoid a bidding war and they’ve demonstrated in the past that they are willing to walk away from priority targets like Lisandro Martinez and Mykhailo Mudryk - who eventually joined United and Chelsea respectively.
READ MORE: Man Utd make Declan Rice transfer request as Arsenal prepare £90m opening bid
Arsenal are preparing an official offer for Rice, deciding to wait until after this evening's Conference League final as a mark of respect to West Ham. There is thought to be a distance in valuation between the Hammers and the north Londoners right now.
Moyes has stated that it would take an English record transfer fee to secure Rice, while the Gunners are hopeful of securing him for less than that.
READ NEXT:
Arsenal handed huge Joao Cancelo transfer incentive as Barcelona make Lionel Messi decision
William Saliba makes major Arsenal contract demand amid concerning PSG links
