Arsenal legend Lee Dixon has admitted he is 'not convinced' the Gunners will pursue West Ham midfielder Declan Rice this summer despite reports claiming otherwise.
Recent speculation has suggested that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made the Hammers captain his priority target in the next window, though the Gunners are not alone in their interest as fellow 'big-six' sides Manchester United and Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Rice's situation in east London.
West Ham had originally hoped to fetch as much as £100million for the England international's signature, but with their hopes of Premier League football for another season not yet certain, the Hammers could be forced into accepting less for Rice should they be relegated to the Championship.
However, were David Moyes' men to survive and stick with their £100m valuation of Rice, this is where Dixon feels Arsenal and their efforts to sign the 24-year-old, could come unstuck.
The ex-Arsenal right-back has claimed his former side will not meet that price tag and instead could be using the public nature of the Rice rumours as a 'smokescreen' to pursue another unknown target.
"I don’t think Arsenal will pay £100 million," Dixon told BettingSites. "I don’t think he’s worth £100 million to be honest. I think West Ham are going to want even more than that.
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"I don’t know who Arsenal are looking at. But based on the way they’ve recruited so far I would suggest that they’ve got alternatives.
"Maybe Rice is a bit of a smokescreen, and they’re not really that interested. I think he’s a really good player but I’m not convinced he will be at Arsenal next season."
Rice is not the only midfielder Arsenal have been linked with in recent months. The January transfer window saw the Gunners lodge three separate bids for Brighton star Moises Caicedo.
Despite the South American taking to Instagram with a public plea to the Seagulls hierarchy asking if he could leave the club, Caicedo stayed put and has since penned a new lengthy contract extension.
That doesn't entirely rule Caicedo out of a move, as the extension at the Amex could have been completed purely to retain the midfielder's value.
With that being said, any move for the Brighton ace in the coming months would likely cost Arsenal the same, if not more money than a deal for the more experienced Rice.
