Dean Ashton has said on talkSPORT (9:53am, March 2, 2023) that Arsenal target and West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is not worth £100 million or £120 million.
The former West Ham player believes that Rice, who has been linked with a move to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the January transfer window, has a long way to go before he can command such kind of transfer fees.
Ashton made the comments in the wake of West Ham losing to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.
According to The Daily Mail, Arsenal are determined to sign Rice from London and Premier League rivals West Ham in the summer of 2023 and could prioritise him over fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion.
TalkSPORT journalist and presenter Jim White has said that West Ham want as much as £120 million plus add-ons for the midfielder in the summer transfer window.
Journalist Dean Jones told GiveMeSport last month that Arsenal are willing to break their transfer record for Rice and make him their most expensive signing.
Ashton has said that Rice is not worth £100 million, which means that, according to the former West Ham striker, Arsenal would be overpaying for the 24-year-old England international midfielder if they decided to spend that amount on him.
Dean Ashton on Arsenal target and West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice
Ashton said: “The numbers being thrown around, about £100m, £120 million, I am sorry, he is a long, long, long way away from that.”
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