West Ham captain Declan Rice has told the London club his next destination this summer transfer window, according to recent reports. The midfielder seems set to leave the Hammers in the coming weeks, with two years remaining on his contract and uncertainty surrounding his future.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich have all been heavily linked with a switch, with a decision to be made on the 24-year-old's future following the UEFA Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina on Wednesday. football.london understands that the Gunners have made Rice a top priority as part of a midfield revamp from Mikel Arteta this summer.
The side won't be drawn into a bidding war though, as seen when they backed out of moves for Mykhailo Mudryk and Lisandro Martinez in the past year. However, the north London outfit look set to make their first bid in the following weeks, with reports claiming it could be in the £90million range.
That's £30million away from West Ham's reported valuation of £120million for their captain, who chairman David Sullivan confirmed is set to leave. “I think it has to be," Sullivan told TalkSPORT when asked if the Europa Conference League final would be Rice's last game for the side.
“We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going. You can’t ask for a man who has committed more to us this season. In due course, he has to get on and we have to get a replacement – or several replacements."
There's an even bigger boost coming to Arteta and his staff though, despite the competition of some other elite clubs for the England international's future. According to German outlet Ran Sport, Rice has told the Hammers hierarchy that Arsenal are the team he wants to join over Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
The reports also states that former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is personally pushing to land the midfielder at Bayern, meeting with the player and his father in London. There still remains plenty of time in the transfer window for things to change though, meaning Arsenal cannot take any of this lightly as their pursuit continues.
READ NEXT:
Mikel Arteta's next Arsenal transfer priority revealed after key duo agree new contracts
Timothy Castagne to Arsenal transfer latest: Talks held, cut-price deal, Ivan Fresneda decision
