Arsenal have been heavily linked with West Ham United’s Declan Rice over the past few months.
The Gunners have enjoyed an outstanding season, remaining in contention for the Premier League title.
Whatever happens, the prospect of joining Arsenal will be an appealing one for the world’s top players.
Meanwhile, Rice has openly expressed his desire to play Champions League football and challenge for trophies.
Now, Dean Jones has claimed that the 24-year-old is “very interested” in the prospect of joining Arsenal.
He said on the Chasing Green Arrows show (31:10): “Declan Rice, obviously the big name they want to check out early in the window to see what the pricing is going to be around that.
“They’re not just going to pay whatever it takes to get Declan Rice, but they do want him and he’s very interested in going there.”
Our view
Rice is a world-class player who will hugely improve any team he joins.
However, Arsenal can probably expect to pay a huge fee for his signature.
Earlier this year, the Evening Standard reported that West Ham would hold out for £100million or over.
Obviously there would be negotiations between the Gunners and the Hammers that could see the fee drop.
At the same time, there could also be a bidding war which could see the price go up.
Nonetheless, it’s great to hear that Rice seems to be keen on a switch to the Emirates Stadium.
It’s not surprising really, as Arsenal are a club going in the right direction.
The players are superb, there’s strength in depth, the dressing room is united, and it’s all financially sustainable.
A signing like Rice would be a real statement for Arsenal at the end of the season.
At the same time, the Gunners will likely be prudent when it comes to valuation, and not pay excessively.
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