Surprising reports suggest that Bayern Munich is on the verge of securing the services of highly sought-after West Ham United captain, Declan Rice, writes the TeamTalk. Despite Arsenal being considered the favorites in the race to sign the English international for quite some time, the Bundesliga giants appear to have overtaken them.
Rice is currently one of the most coveted players in Europe, making it intriguing to see if Bayern can outmaneuver the competition. Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel recently had a phone conversation with Rice, attempting to convince him to choose Bayern over Arsenal. Now, it seems Tuchel’s efforts may have paid off, as Bayern is closing in on a deal for the West Ham midfielder.
According to journalist Jose Felix Diaz (via Metro), Bayern is on the verge of finalizing the signing of Rice. The German club is reportedly prepared to pay around £85m for the 24-year-old, which would make him their record signing. For Arsenal to beat Bayern to Rice’s signature, they would need to offer a higher transfer fee. This situation is worth monitoring in the coming weeks.
Arsenal had an excellent season, finishing second in the Premier League, just five points behind the champions. Manager Mikel Arteta is now planning to strengthen his squad for the upcoming season. Adding quality reinforcements will be crucial if Arsenal aims to compete for trophies again. However, if Diaz’s report is accurate, Arteta will be disappointed. It’s no secret that Rice was Arteta’s primary transfer target to bolster the midfield. Granit Xhaka’s anticipated move to Bayer Leverkusen will leave a void in the Gunners’ midfield.
Both Thomas Partey and Jorginho are not getting any younger either. However, it appears Arsenal may have to explore alternatives to Rice in the transfer market. Nevertheless, conflicting reports suggest that Arsenal is still actively pursuing the signing of the West Ham star. Consequently, it remains challenging to predict his eventual destination. What appears certain, though, is that Arsenal would need to surpass Bayern’s reported £85m offer if they want to secure Rice’s services this summer.