Arsenal will make an improved £90m bid for Declan Rice today.
The Gunners are determined to get the West Ham midfielder as their No1 transfer target in this window.
They had an opening bid of £80m plus add-ons turned down by West Ham last week as they got the ball rolling to sign the England star. But are now preparing to go back with a new offer which with add-ons will be worth £90m and they hope that will make progress.
Rice, 24, is determined to move to Arsenal and has set his heart on completing a transfer to the Emirates by the end of June which should leave Arsenal in a strong position.
Manchester City have also been linked with Rice but Arsenal are confident they are in pole position amid doubts whether Pep Guardiola’s men are genuinely in for the West Ham captain.
But Arsenal have a clear plan on Rice and see him as an integral part of their summer plans and a potential successor for Grant Xhaka who looks set to join Bayer Leverkusen once Mikel Arteta can get new midfielders in.
Rice has been given the green light to leave West Ham if a Champions League club can match their price demands.
Arsenal greatly admire Rice’s ability on the ball and also his versatility as he can play in deeper midfield, as an energetic box-to-box player and also a centre half.
Rice helped West Ham lift the Europa Conference League and that looks set to be a perfect way to say goodbye from the London Stadium this summer. Speaking after their European triumph, chairman David Sullivan said: "We promised him he could go. He set his heart on going. You can't ask for a man who has committed more to us this season.
"In due course, he has to get on and we have to get a replacement - or several replacements. It's not something we want to happen. We offered him £200,000-a-week 18 months ago. He turned it down.
"It's cost him £10million to stay at West Ham in that time (in lost wages). And he wants to go. You can't keep a player who doesn't want to be there."
West Ham have been pushing for £100m-plus but Arsenal are hoping their new bid will help them get their first big deal of the summer over the line. The proposed fee would still smash their current club record, which was set with the disastrous £72million acquisition of Nicolas Pepe in 2019.
It would be a huge boost for the Gunners who are convinced that Rice wants to move to the Emirates and that is a key reason why they believe they will get their man.
