Newcastle United's reported summer pursuit of Declan Rice may be thwarted by an offer from Arsenal - and therefore a chance for the Kingston Upon Thames-born midfielder to remain in the capital. The Magpies have been strongly linked with a move for Rice who at the age of 24 is just three shy of 200 Premier League appearances for West Ham but has long been tipped with a move away from the club.
With West Ham embroiled in a battle for their Premier League status, a summer move away for Rice looks even more likely, and Newcastle, with Champions League football looking a strong possibility, have shot right to the top of the list of suitors. However, speaking on The Everything is Black and White Podcast, John Gibson believes that Rice may favour a move to Arsenal rather than to Tyneside.
"If we Newcastle are signing a defensive midfield player, I can't think of anyone that's better than Declan Rice to bring in. But will we bring in Declan Rice? No, because I think it's a step too far at this stage, financially, and I think that if he gets the opportunity to stay in London, and that opportunity would obviously best be at Arsenal, then I think he would sign and stay in London.
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"[Sign him] yes on ability, and as a defensive midfield player, would you have him ahead of Scott McTominay? 99% of Newcastle fans would have him ahead of McTominay - so the answer would be yes."
And with reports of a £100m price tag on Rice's head, there is also a belief that Newcastle owners - despite reports they are ready to spend big summer - may not sanction such a big deal and spend a large part of their budget in the process. Not only would Rice's move break a club-record transfer fee but his weekly wage would also break the current structure at Newcastle.
With Newcastle looking likely to compete in one of the three European competitions next season, this summer will undoubtedly see several arrivals as Eddie Howe looks to build a squad capable of fighting on all fronts. The fear is that a move for Rice would significantly reduce the budget to build a squad capable of doing that.
Speaking on The Monday Show of The Everything is Black and White Podcast, our Newcastle United Editor Aaron Stokes shared his concerns: "It would be the biggest statement Newcastle could make because it wouldn't just have to break Newcastle's club record but also the Premier League transfer record, you'd imagine.
"There's no doubting his talent - he's put in two very good performances against Newcastle alone this season, and is easily one of Europe's best midfielders. The only maybe sticking point I see is that while United are going to spend big, are they going to really blow a chunk of their budget?
"When I say a chunk, I probably mean, the majority of their budget this summer on a player like that when they actually probably need five or six gaps filling if they're going to be in Europe. No fan would be disappointed with it but I just think it's a huge outlay for a summer window where you're probably going to need a lot of changes to this squad."
It's no secret that high on the shopping list this summer is a defensive midfielder but with Newcastle still unsure of which European competition they'll be competing in next season - Toon boss Howe has already admitted that there are several different lists the club are working from to account for each scenario.
When asked about the link to Rice, Howe said: "That is a difficult question to answer. We are trying to build the best squad we can. I think a lot will probably depend on what competitions we are playing in next year as to what we can and can’t do.”
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