Arsenal are hopeful of completing the signing of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice this summer, Football London reporter Kaya Kaynak has told GIVEMESPORT.
Rice has been heavily linked with a move away from West Ham with the London side struggling in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal transfer news – Declan Rice
Rice has been a key player for West Ham over the last few years, taking over as skipper from club legend Mark Noble. The Athletic have also reported that Rice is being earmarked by Gareth Southgate as a potential candidate to captain England in the future.
Transfer insider Ben Jacobs recently revealed in his column for CaughtOffside that Arsenal and Chelsea would both prefer to sign Rice over Moises Caicedo.
Jorginho, Granit Xhaka, and Thomas Partey, three of Arsenal’s regular midfielders, are all aged between 29 and 31, so bringing in a younger, long-term option in the middle will be important for the Gunners.
Rice certainly has the potential to come straight into the starting eleven at Arsenal and immediately improve their side, so it’s scary to think about how well they could perform next season if they manage to sign the midfielder.
The Evening Standard have reported that Rice is expected to cost over £100m in the summer window.
What has Kaynak said about Rice?
Discussing Rice’s future, Kaynak has confirmed that multiple clubs are in the race to secure his signature this summer, but Arsenal are hoping to get a deal done.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “Obviously there are other teams that are going to be involved. Chelsea and Manchester United have shown interest in the past and there’s plenty of teams that will want a player of the quality of Declan Rice.
“As far as Arsenal are concerned, he’s a target they want to sign in the summer and they’re hoping to be able to get that done.”
How has Rice performed this season?
Rice is by far and away West Ham’s most progressive player in terms of looking to build attacks from deep. The 24-year-old has played more than double the amount of passes into the final-third than Aaron Cresswell, who sits in second place for this metric, as per FBref.
The England international also has the highest pass completion percentage in the squad, and his defensive ability on top means he has the potential to be a complete midfielder.
Rice averages two tackles, 1.5 interceptions, and 4.1 duels won per game in the Premier League this season.
Sofascore have also given Rice a rating of 7.2 for the league campaign – the highest in the West Ham squad.
