Arsenal ‘Hell-Bent’ On Beating Chelsea To Sign ‘Extraordinary’ £70m Star

Premier League table topper Arsenal are hell-bent on beating Chelsea to sign West Ham United midfielder, Declan Rice this summer according to Sky Sports reporter, Michael Bridge.

Bridege says the Gunners will be keen to land the West Ham midfielder in the next transfer window and reckons they are desperate to avoid a repeat of what happened with Mykhailo Mudryk.

Transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Rice’s name has been discussed internally at Arsenal.

Regarding how much he could cost, a report from The Telegraph claims that the north London club are growing in confidence that a £70m deal can be done.

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Arsenal, however, could face competition for his signature, with the same outlet claiming that Chelsea are also interested in the 24-year-old.

It would not be the first time Arsenal and Chelsea went up against each other for the same player. The two London rivals recently did battle for Mudryk, who eventually landed at Stamford Bridge.

What has Michael Bridge said about Declan Rice and Arsenal?

Bridge understands that Arsenal will be “very keen” on Rice this summer and doubts they will want to lose out on another signing to Chelsea.

The Sky Sports reporter said: “My information is that Arsenal will be very keen on him, and I’m sure they’ll be hell-bent on not wanting to lose out to Chelsea again like with Mudryk. I think the feelers might already be out in terms of their interest if I’m honest.”

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Who needs Declan Rice more, Arsenal or Chelsea?

Probably Chelsea. Graham Potter has a lot of issues in midfield right now.

N’Golo Kante, for example, keeps picking up injuries and is out of contract at the end of the season. His team-mate Jorginho is also set to become a free agent, so they could both need replacing.

Mateo Kovacic’s current deal is running down, too. It expires in 2024 and there has been nothing to suggest that he is close to putting pen to paper on an extension.

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When you consider all of the above, it is easy to understand why Chelsea have Rice, who has been described as “extraordinary” by football.london’s Josh Holland, on their radar.

Arsenal, though, are clearly in the race for his signature and are an attractive destination at present after proving that they can compete for the Premier League title.