Arsenal ‘quietly confident’ of signing £80m star at the Emirates

Arsenal are “quietly confident” of securing the signing of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice at the Emirates Stadium this summer, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GIVEMESPORT.

Mikel Arteta is looking to make a midfield addition to his already impressive Gunners squad during the transfer market.

As per The Times back in January, Arsenal have made Rice their top summer target and are increasingly confident in securing a deal worth £80m for his services.

The Irons captain has less than 18 months remaining on his £60,000 per-week contract at the London Stadium, though the east London outfit do have the option of a 12-month extension.

Football.London reporter Kaya Kaynak has recently told GIVEMESPORT that Arsenal are “hoping” to secure the signature of the 24-year-old this summer, despite interest from Chelsea and Manchester United.

And Jacobs believes that Rice’s asking price could be severely lowered if West Ham are relegated this season, enabling the Gunners to potentially sign him for less than the £80m currently being reported.

What has Jacobs said about Arsenal and Rice?

Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT: “For Rice specifically, the price has a number of variables.

“If West Ham United go down, then suddenly David Moyes is not going to get anywhere close to his British record transfer fee.

“I think that suitors like Arsenal have been quietly confident that Rice wants to leave for Champions League football. Arsenal are going to have that.

“On top of that, West Ham are quietly resigned to letting him go. So that shouldn’t be a transfer that, much like last summer, is very difficult to pull off, with the type of figures bandied around being sky-high.”

How has Rice performed this season?

Rice has been an almost-ever present in West Ham’s packed schedule this season, having made 34 appearances whilst hitting the back of the net twice and providing four assists across domestic and European football.

The 39-cap England international has achieved an average WhoScored rating of 6.96 for his displays in the Premier League this term, ranking as the best-performing player in David Moyes’ squad, indicating how important he is to the London Stadium outfit.

The 6 foot 1 star compares favourably to his positional peers in some aspects of his game, ranking in the top 4% of midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for interceptions (1.88) and top 8% for pass success rate per 90 minutes (88.8%) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.

Therefore, Rice would prove an exceptional signing for Arteta’s midfield, and the north London outfit will hope to sway him towards the Emirates Stadium come the summer.