Declan Rice was "bowled over" by a meeting with Mikel Arteta over a potential move to Arsenal this summer, according to recent reports. It comes as the West Ham captain is nearing a switch to the Emirates Stadium in the coming days and weeks of the summer transfer window.
The saga surrounding the 24-year-old has had plenty of twists and turns as the Gunners submitted two early bids at £80million and £90million respectively, but saw them rejected. That gave rivals Manchester City a chance to enter the race as they saw an opening offer rejected, but both teams were moving closer to the £100million mark.
While there was a wait to see which team would blink first in matching a nine-figure bid, it was Arsenal that made the huge leap in doing so. football.london understands a club-record bid was submitted, with reports claiming that a deal in principle has been agreed at £105million.
There's a slight wait in getting a deal over the line at this stage, with such a huge fee resulting in discussions over the installments it will be paid in. However, with City now out of the race, time is now afforded to be able to ensure both teams can get a move that suits them.
One of the key roles in all of this appears to have been the preference of Rice, who has been said to want a move to Arsenal over other clubs. A huge momentum shift may have come way before any offers were made as the Times claims that the midfielder had a meeting with Arteta in January.
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The England international was claimed to be "bowled over" by the discussions, with the Spanish coach outlining how he plans to improve Rice and where he fits in the team. If that is the case, it echoes the sentiment of club captain Martin Odegaard, who claimed a meeting managed to sway his decision to join Arsenal.
“I spoke to Mikel Arteta on a Zoom call and he told me all about the project," the Norway international told the Players Tribune. "At the time, Arsenal were not doing well. They were way down like 15th in the table, but that meeting … Honestly, I challenge anyone to come away from a meeting with Arteta and not believe everything he tells you.
“He is next level. It's hard to explain. He’s passionate, he’s intense and sometimes, yeah, he’s a bit crazy … but when he speaks, you understand that whatever he says will happen, will happen. He told me his plan, everything he was building towards. He knew exactly what needed to change at the club."
It remains to be seen whether Rice will outline the importance of any meeting in a potential announcement video, however the move appears to be more of a case of when and not if it will happen.
