Arsenal’s long-standing interest in the West Ham United star midfielder Declan Rice appears to be in its final stages before a completed big-money move to the Emirates.
The 24-year-old England international helped the Hammers to their first major trophy in years as a central figure in their Europa Conference League during a final act of service for the club that gave him a springboard to even greater success, before admitting that his time at the London Stadium was up.
Rice, who rose to the position as captain, has widely expected to complete a move to the Emirates as the main summer target of Mikel Arteta and club technical director Edu Gaspar while hopefully being key to the club’s future endeavors both at home and abroad, but his reported price tag has some feeling concerned.
🗣️| Ray Parlour on Arsenal: “I look at the situation now and I think the owners know they’ve got the right manager and if Edu and the manger say we desperately need [Declan Rice] I think they’ll find the money.
“The problem is what else do they need? They need a striker,… pic.twitter.com/7mHvLFANFG
— Arsenal Buzz (@ArsenalBuzzCom) June 13, 2023
Gunners icon-turned-pundit Ray Parlour has recently been vocal about the £100m-plus that it will likely take for Arsenal to land Rice, with the former Arsenal midfielder concerned that such a move would strip the club of further opportunities to strengthen other areas of the team.
When speaking on TalkSPORT, Parlour remarked “I look at the situation now and I think the owners know they’ve got the right manager and if Edu and the manager say we desperately need [Declan Rice] I think they’ll find the money.”
“The problem is what else do they need? They need a striker, [Gabriel] Jesus was injured last season, Eddie [Nketiah] has done a brilliant job when he came in but you still need another striker, especially if you’re in the Champions League.”
Beyond securing Rice as a vital piece of the puzzle under Arteta, strong links persist to further business in midfield in the vein of Brighton starlet Moisés Caicedo, while reinforcements for the back line could be procured via Belgian international full-back Timothy Castagne.
Arsenal is also potentially looking to add another name to the forward line, with young Montpellier striker Elye Wahi having been touted as a possible candidate for recruitment.
All told, the Gunners are expected to splash up to or surpass £200m regardless of potential outgoings, thus making the capture of Rice affordable as well as necessary.
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