Arsenal to give West Ham United first refusal on next signing with Eddie Nketiah wanted in East London
Arsenal are willing to hand West Ham United a potential sweetener should a deal for Declan Rice be completed this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The Gunners are the frontrunners for Rice’s signature and had a formal first bid rejected [Sky Sports, 15 June] but are expected to return with another in the coming days.
It is thought that Arsenal’s opening bid stood at around £80m plus add-ons, but West Ham have made it clear that Rice’s valuation remains at £120m but it is understood the club would accept £100m plus a player.
And according to a report in the Daily Mail [15 June], Arsenal are prepared to give West Ham United first refusal on outgoing players later this summer, with the Hammers showing interest in the £100k-per-week academy product Eddie Nketiah in the past.
Explore opportunity
It seems as if the race for Rice’s signature is intensifying after Arsenal’s opening offer but it is certainly nice to see West Ham United standing firm in their £100m-plus valuation of the midfielder.
And this latest report in the Daily Mail certainly suggests that the Gunners are prepared to hand West Ham an incentive on the deal, and the Nketiah opportunity is certainly worth exploring.
David Moyes looks set to lose both Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio, as well as Rice this summer which means the Hammers will be looking to identify Premier-League-ready targets to bolster and revamp his squad.
Nketiah certainly fits the bill and the kind of player West Ham United should be targeting. He’s homegrown, is Premier League proven, holds the capabilities to score goals and the London Stadium can provide him with the platform to finally show his worth on a regular basis – something he’s not getting currently at The Emirates.
When Nketiah starts games, he is a real handful as evidenced by his terrific purple patch between November and January when Gabriel Jesus was out injured.
West Ham United are in desperate need of strikers next season, and Nketiah needs games under his belt despite signing a new deal last year, this is a partnership which makes perfect sense.