Declan Rice is a West Ham and England midfielder that Arsenal will want to acquire in the summer. They are confident that they can outbid competitors, Chelsea being among them, for his services.

If a deal is completed, Rice would surpass Nicolas Pépé’s £72 million transfer record and is Mikel Arteta’s top target. It is assumed that the player is willing to consider the potential move. The West Ham captain, who is 24 and has a plethora of both domestic and international experience, would be the ideal addition for Arteta, who has been eager to improve his midfield options long-term. Arteta has explained to Rice how he would fit within his plans.

Chelsea will compete with Arsenal for Rice and might be encouraged by their success in outbidding them for Mykhaylo Mudryk, who on Sunday joined Graham Potter’s team from Shakhtar Donetsk despite the fact that it was widely believed he would choose the Emirates.

Their influence in the transfer market under Todd Boehly and his consortium is undeniable, and they have a long-standing interest in it. Although they were anticipated to submit a formal bid, they never did after an enquiry for Rice in August was rejected. Manchester United is likewise anticipated to pay great attention to Rice’s circumstance.

At this stage, Arsenal seem to be the front-runners to seal the deal and are sure that they can provide him with Champions League football since they lead the Premier League by eight points. Rice is more focused on getting West Ham out of a relegation battle this year since he hasn’t encountered that at West Ham.

A long-standing worry has been Arteta’s need for elite alternatives to play with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey. In order to maintain their league place, Arsenal still plans to be active in the transfer market this month, but they have no problem waiting until the summer to sign their ideal candidate.