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Arsenal 'now confident' of winning the race to sign £75m West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice
Arsenal are now “confident” of winning the race to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, according to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Hammers are resigned to losing their key man this summer with the England international intent on playing Champions League football next season, with London neighbours Arsenal and Chelsea the most interested parties.
According to The Times (28 February), Rice could cost around £80million in the summer transfer window, with Arsenal emerging as a strong contender for his signature around that time.
And Jacobs has claimed that the American-owned Gunners are now confident of winning the race to sign Rice, who could cost only £75million.
Speaking to GiveMeSport [16 March], he said: “We know that Rice is going to be one priority for Arsenal and even at the lower end of estimations, he’s going to cost around £75m.
“David Moyes has said on record that he believes that Rice should cost equivalent to Enzo Fernandez’s British record transfer fee. So, Arsenal are prepared to enter that type of race and they’re confident of winning it as well.”
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With reports [Curtis Shaw TV, 6 January] claiming that the West Ham midfielder prefers a move to Arsenal rather than his former club Chelsea, it makes the perfect sense considering the kind of project Mikel Arteta is building at the Emirates.
The England international could well become the new face of the Gunners project and he may be swayed in their favour if Arsenal goes on to win the Premier League title this summer.
However, the £75m fee mooted to secure his signature we feel might not go down well with the Hammers supporters and the club should try their best to command a higher fee despite Rice only having two years to run on his contract from this summer.
The East Londoners will be undergoing a massive rebuild of their own, and in order to properly address the weaknesses of the squad, the club will need all the money they can get. West Ham are resigned to losing him, but they must ensure they get the most out of the sale.