Declan Rice has sent an emotional message to West Ham United fans following his side's UEFA Europa Conference League triumph against Fiorentina.
David Moyes' side defeated La Viola 2-1 in Wednesday's final thanks to a last-minute Jarrod Bowen winner, clinching the Hammers their first trophy in over 40 years. The thrilling affair in Prague looks set to be Rice's final match in a West Ham shirt, with Arsenal making the 24-year-old their primary target ahead of the summer transfer window, football.london understands.
football.london understands that the Gunners are confident they have a strong offer for Rice but feel that it will ultimately come down to the player to decide amid interest from a host of other elite European sides, including Bayern Munich and Manchester United.
The north London outfit are keen to avoid a bidding war and they’ve demonstrated in the past that they are willing to walk away from priority targets like Lisandro Martinez and Mykhailo Mudryk - who eventually joined United and Chelsea respectively. Arsenal are preparing an official offer for the England international, having waited until after the Hammers' game against Fiorentina as a mark of respect.
Now, Rice has taken to social media to send a message to the West Ham faithful, thanking them for all their support in recent times. The England international's Instagram caption read: "Thank you to the fans, staff, my friends and my family for all the support.
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"I’m glad we could bring it home for you. It’s an honour to Captain this Football Club. History Makers (Trophy emoji)."
As you would expect, the comments section was filled with Arsenal supporters telling him to make the move to the Emirates Stadium. Here is what a select few said.
abt_03 : "come to the arsenal deccers lad (heart emoji)."
brandon.palafox_23 : "Champions league next year with Arsenal (fire emoji) (fire emoji)."
not_theonlybranks : "Arsenal is calling."
iiii11i_ : "Come to Arsenal (heart emoji)."
bdm__12 : "Come to Arsenal."
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