Long-term Chelsea’s midfield target ‘likely’ to complete Arsenal transfer

Declan Rice is predicted to sign for Arsenal amid Chelsea’s interest

West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is seemingly likely to sign a summer transfer deal with Arsenal, despite interest from his boyhood club Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta’s team are in the lead (h/t Metro), and the Guardian claims that North Londoners are now “expected” to prevail in the fight for Rice.

This year, Rice has been linked to a number of clubs, and he might leave in the upcoming transfer window. West Ham are struggling in the Premier League and as compared to the teams that are interested in Rice, the Hammers may not be able to fulfil the player’s potential personal ambitions.

Nevertheless, given their poor performance this year, West Ham United seem prepared to lose the English midfielder, and all dreams of locking Rice into a fresh deal have vanished. Chelsea have long been considered Rice’s next stop, despite being open about their sadness at letting the midfielder leave the team at the age of 14.

Under Frank Lampard’s reign, the Blues made two efforts to sign the midfielder from the Hammers. West Ham have set a £100 million transfer fee for England International, but the Gunners are unlikely to match that value.

If the Hammers are unable to stay in the Premier League, their negotiating position will be significantly weakened, and if they are relegated from the English top flight, then Rice’s transfer fee may be closer to £55 or £60 million.

Declan Rice has plenty of time before the summer transfer window to make a decision on his future, and even though Arsenal are the frontrunner to sign him, we still have a possibility.

However, failing to qualify for the Champions League could be a concern considering that Rice would want to compete in European competition and that Arsenal are well-positioned to participate in the competition next season. 

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Nonetheless, the Gunners were also the favourite to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk in January but we managed to sign the Ukrainian forward, so if we are quick to make a move for the England international, then we can get the better of Arsenal once again.

Sure, on paper Arsenal could be the better project in the short term. But given Chelsea’s investment under Todd Boehly, their focus on building the team around young players, and the fact that he was here with our academy before switching to West Ham, could all be important factors for Rice to consider in the long run.