Arsenal thrown Rice curveball as West Ham ask about £33m player Arteta doesn’t want to lose

Arsenal thrown Rice curveball as West Ham ask about £33m player Arteta doesn’t want to lose

Declan Rice wants to join Arsenal but his prospective new club have a tough situation to navigate as West Ham have asked about a player they wish to keep.

Arsenal are determined to sign Rice this summer in what would likely be a British record transfer.

West Ham chairman David Sullivan has explained that the club will not stand in Rice’s way as “we promised him he could go”, with the Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina almost certain to be his final game.

But West Ham will hold out for the best possible deal as while Rice technically only has a year remaining on his contract in east London, the Hammers have an option to extend that by a further 12 months.

They hope to use their strong bargaining position to extract the maximum out of Arsenal or whoever does win the Rice race, but their demands may not be limited solely to money.

‘The idea of a deal involving Emile Smith Rowe moving the opposite way’ has been floated by West Ham, with a source at The Sun adding how David Moyes is a “big fan” of the England international.

It is said that Smith Rowe ‘has become part of the conversation at the club’ because Moyes feels “he could really help the team as they rebuild”, even if he has “fallen down the pecking order” at Arsenal.

The Gunners do not wish to sanction the departure of Aston Villa target Smith Rowe but ‘it could ultimately end up being a road they are forced to go down’ to capture their main summer target.

The source brings some positive news for Arsenal by stating that Rice “likes the journey the club is on and the role he could potentially play in helping them to move to the next level,” with a foreign option like Bayern Munich not even being considered.

Smith Rowe has become a favourite of Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard oversaw a revival in the club’s fortunes in late 2020 by building a young, vibrant team around the attacker.

Going from strength to strength at that stage, Smith Rowe scored 10 goals and assisted two in 37 appearances during the 2021/22 season.

But a long-term groin injury has severely restricted his opportunities this campaign and Arsenal have evolved into a title challenger in his absence.

Despite that, Arteta has remained loyal to a player who “helped shift momentum big time” during his reign, with West Ham’s interest a huge test of his allegiance.