Arsenal are set to move for Moises Caicedo – despite being in the final stages of completing a move for Declan Rice.
The Gunners are losing Granit Xhaka this summer with prolific transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirming in a tweet that the Swiss will part ways with the club. It has been highly speculated that Declan Rice's imminent move from east London to north will fill that void in midfield – but now, perhaps it won't.
The Guardian has reported that Arsenal's move for West Ham United captain Rice is "progressing quickly", though another move for Moises Caicedo looks to be in the pipeline.
A source has told Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips that Arsenal have a bid ready for Caicedo irrespective of the Rice deal. According to the report, this is the strongest that Arsenal have ever been financially, with the Blues looking to rival their London neighbours for the Brighton midfielder's signature.
The move for these two midfielders could potentially see Caicedo move to a right-back berth, similar to the one that Thomas Partey played in the latter stage of the season. Added depth could well be on Mikel Arteta's mind, too, as he competes on four fronts next season.
Arsenal look set to pay a base figure of around £90 million for Rice and with Brighton rejecting bids of £65m for Caicedo in January, according to The Athletic, it seems likely that 'Riceido' – as fans are dubbing the duo on social media – will set Arsenal back £150m at least.
The Gunners could see themselves spend more than their record signing – the £72m they shelled out for Nicolas Pepe in 2019 – twice in one window.
Rice has just joined up with England for international duty ahead of the Three Lions' Euro 2024 qualifiers, with West Ham chairman David Sullivan telling talkSPORT, "We promised him he could go," after the Europa Conference League final.
Caicedo is valued at around €55m by Transfermarkt.
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Arsenal transfer news is ramping up this summer, with the Gunners set to loosen their wage structure to attract the best players.
Moises Caicedo is heavily linked, Xavi Simons is on the radar, Ivan Fresneda could join and Ilkay Gundogan is wanted, too. Arsenal could sell £100m worth of players, too – with William Saliba, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey all wanted by clubs overseas.
Jay Bothroyd, meanwhile, has told FFT that the Gunners perhaps surprisingly, should be in the market for a striker.
