Arsenal will be hoping to complete their major transfer business early into the summer window with the exact date Declan Rice negotiations can begin now known. The West Ham captain is the priority target for the Gunners this summer, football.london understands and a move to Emirates Stadium is firmly on the cards.
The 24-year-old's valuation has been heavily discussed in the lead-up to the summer and with West Ham's Premier League status virtually secured, both parties look to now know their starting point. According to the Telegraph, Arsenal are putting together an offer worth a club-record £92million for Rice, while West Ham are said to want "Jude Bellingham money" for their captain with an asking price of £120million.
If a sale is sanctioned it is unlikely either of those figures will be the final sum but it is a starting point. Rice's recent performances are sure to only benefit the Hammers as he has upped his game in the final few months of the campaign, including an assured display on Thursday evening to help West Ham reach the Europa Conference League final.
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Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently provided the state of play for Rice's proposed move to the Gunners. Speaking on YouTube, he said: “Arsenal are now preparing and thinking of the first bid for Declan Rice. This is not submitted yet, but they are preparing that bid internally, it means they are waiting to understand how much West Ham want in order to submit the first proposal.
““They will also respect West Ham as they are busy with European football. So right after the conference league they will be able to negotiate with West Ham. But the idea is in June to submit an official proposal for Declan Rice. They are now discussing the structure of the bid, it will probably include some add-ons.
“So Arsenal are discussing about that internally and then they will submit that proposal in June, probably, for Rice knowing that the player would be open to the move. Arsenal will try to attack the Declan Rice situation very soon and this is a crucial step for this deal."
While some of this is already known, there is a rather important update for Arsenal involving West Ham's European campaign. It was revealed last week the Hammers had no intention of entering negotiations until a potential Europa Conference League final.
The potential in that previous phase can now be removed as David Moyes's side beat AZ Alkmaar over two legs to seal a spot in the final where they will take on Fiorentina in Prague on Wednesday, June 7. Therefore, the following day, with West Ham's season officially over, Arsenal can begin their process to sign Rice.
It is, of course, unlikely that conversations will begin immediately after the final but the Gunners are at least now aware that June will be the starting month for formal talks as opposed to May.
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