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Arsenal interested in signing Declan Rice from West Ham.
According to reports, Arsenal are interested in signing West Ham United captain Declan Rice.
The 24-year-old has been linked with a move away from London Stadium on numerous occasions, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool all believed to be interested in the England international.
Until now, there has been no indication that Arsenal is interested in signing Rice, but we know that the Gunners’ Premier League success has allowed Mikel Arteta and the club’s administration to examine their list of potential targets.
After beating rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Sunday, Arsenal now has an eight-point lead over reigning champions Man City in the Premier League standings, barring a collapse in the second half of the season. Arsenal now appears to be a lock for Champions League qualification for next season.
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Rice, meanwhile, finds himself at the bottom of the table with a West Ham team that has struggled to come back from a goal down. Despite spending a lot of money in the summer, David Moyes’ side has lost 12 of the 19 Premier League games they’ve played so far this season, and they’re in the relegation zone with only 15 goals and points to their name.
The additions of Lucas Paqueta, Gianluca Scamacca, and Nayef Aguerd were supposed to increase the Hammers’ chances of consistently qualifying for European competition and convince Declan Rice to sign a contract extension, but their $150 million+ investment has not yielded any tangible results on the field.
West Ham’s struggles almost certainly mean that Rice, whose deal at the club runs until 2024 with the option of a further year, will look to leave this summer in order to further his career – he has previously expressed his desire to play in the Champions League.
As they attempt to improve their midfield options, Arsenal is examining a variety of targets, and sources have told 90min that Rice is very much on the club’s radar.
Chelsea, who discharged Rice from their academy when he was 14 years old, is still interested in bringing him back to Stamford Bridge. When Todd Boehly took over as the Blues owner in place of Roman Abramovich, he attempted—but failed—to make him one of his first signings.
Although West Ham’s negotiating strength will continue to dwindle as they fight to survive in the Premier League, they have always insisted that any interested team will need to spend at least £100 million to sign Rice.