Arsenal is preparing a bid for West Ham captain Declan Rice at the end of the season. Arsenal is still debating whether or not to keep the English midfielder in whom they had an interest in January. According to manager David Moyes, if the offer is good enough, Rice may leave West Ham. According to a “gentleman’s agreement” between Rice and West Ham, the player is free to leave the club in the summer if the team receives a bid of £120 million, whether it comes in the form of transfer money or a transfer price plus players. At an additional year’s option, Rice’s contract at West Ham has one year left to run.
Along with Declan Rice, Arsenal is keeping an eye on the situation with Moises Caicedo at Brighton. Two proposals, the most recent for £70 million, were rejected by Arsenal in January. Despite having already extended his contract with Brighton, Caicedo’s manager Roberto De Zerbi admitted earlier this month that the midfielder may leave in the summer. At least three further Premier League groups are said to be “high on the list” for Caicedo. Although it has not been ruled out, the possibility of Arsenal making summer moves for both Rice and Caicedo would mostly depend on the revenues of any prospective sales.
Due to Granit Xhaka’s impending departure in the summer, Arsenal is also keeping an eye on a few other midfielders. Both Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Manchester City’s captain Ilkay Gundogan have been named as potential targets. The Chelsea contract of Mount will end the following summer. The Chelsea midfielder from England has missed the last few weeks of the season because of an injury. Gundogan’s contract is up this summer, and he previously claimed that talks with City were in progress. Gundogan should stay, as City boss Pep Guardiola has stated clearly. The two of them regularly worked together while Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at City.
Over the course of his seven years with the team, Xhaka has done his fair bit to annoy Arsenal supporters. Many are surprised he has survived this long. Some perceived him as a significant cause in Arsenal’s slide towards the middle of the table, while others said he was being used as a scapegoat and misinterpreted. However, if Xhaka makes the decision to quit the squad this summer, it will be just as everyone at the Emirates Stadium is beginning to accept him.
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