Rice has spoken about his desire to play in the Champions League, with Arsenal on track to qualify for the competition for the first time in six years – possibly as league champions.
Declan Rice has been identified as Arsenal’s top summer transfer target, and the Gunners are confident they can sign the West Ham United star ahead of Chelsea.
Rice is expected to leave the Hammers at the end of the season after refusing to sign a new contract in east London.
While Manchester United were interested in a deal with West Ham last summer before backing out due to the club’s £150 million valuation, Chelsea have long been considered the favorites to sign the 24-year-old when he does leave the London Stadium.
Rice was a Chelsea academy player until the age of 14 and is a lifelong Blues fan. He is also best friends with Mason Mount.
While Chelsea has demonstrated their superior financial strength this month, twice beating Arsenal to transfer targets in Joao Felix and Mkyhailo Mudryk, The Times reports that Arsenal is growing in confidence that they can land Rice in the summer.
The Gunners believe they are in a commanding position as Premier League leaders, with Mikel Arteta’s side eight points clear at the top.
The manager’s summer priorities are said to be a midfielder and a left-sided centre-half, with Rice fitting the bill in the middle of the park.
Rice has spoken about his desire to play in the Champions League, with Arsenal on track to qualify for the competition for the first time in six years – possibly as league champions.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will need to make a significant turnaround if they are to finish in the top four this season. They are currently in 10th place, 10 points behind fourth place, and 19 points behind Arsenal at the top.
Rice is expected to be the subject of a bidding war this summer, with the report estimating that he will cost £80 million.
While Arsenal is willing to make a significant offer for the Hammers star, the club has demonstrated that it will not be forced to overpay for players.
Arsenal made three bids for Mudryk this month but were unable to match Shakhtar Donetsk’s valuation, with Chelsea ultimately winning the deal for £88 million.
The north London club also dropped their interest in Felix after Atletico Madrid demanded a loan fee of £9 million for the forward.