Arsenal have spoken internally about potentially moving for West Ham’s Declan Rice, according to Fabrizio Romano.
According to The Times, the Gunners have identified Rice as their top target ahead of the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are apparently growing in confidence that they can rubber-stamp a deal worth close to £80million.
The Gunners feel they can beat the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea to the Hammers captain’s signature.
This is due to Arsenal’s current status as Premier League leaders, a sign of their progress in recent years.
While on World Cup duty with England, Rice admitted that he wants to play in the Champions League
“100 percent I want to play in the Champions League,” football.london quoted him as saying.
“For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that.
“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.
“I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies.
“You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”
Rudy Galetti recently told GiveMeSport that Arsenal have already made contact over a potential move for Rice.
Now, Romano has shared an update on the Gunners’ stance towards the West Ham star.
Romano also told GiveMeSport: “From what I’m told, they discussed about that internally.
“They spoke about Declan Rice as a player they really like.
“So, in these conversations they had in the last few weeks, he is a name they mentioned.”
Arsenal and Rice a great match – TBR View
Rice has been one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League in recent years.
The ‘complete’ midfielder has remained loyal to West Ham.
However, with the Hammers going backwards this season, he may well be assessing his future.
And if West Ham do go down, then Rice would have no choice but to go elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have shown that they’re on the right track.
For years, Mikel Arteta’s ‘trust the process’ mantra almost became a symbol of mockery among some fans.
But now, with the Gunners staking a real claim for their first title since 2004, most of the critics have been answered.
If Rice wants title challenges and Champions League football, Arsenal seem like a good shout.
Likewise, the 24-year-old would improve the Gunners’ midfield quality right away, and hit the ground running.
