Arsenal are set to be the preferred destination for Declan Rice if he departs West Ham United this summer, despite Bayern Munich’s interest.

• West Ham’s Declan Rice seems to favour a move to Arsenal, despite Bayern Munich’s interest and talks with Thomas Tuchel.
• Arsenal are reportedly making preparations for a substantial bid, having already invested significant effort in planning for Rice’s integration into the team.
• The major stumbling block remains the transfer fee negotiation with West Ham, who reportedly have a £100m+ valuation of the player.

As the summer transfer window approaches, the saga surrounding West Ham’s Declan Rice’s potential move takes an interesting turn.

Despite Bayern Munich’s interest and their manager, Thomas Tuchel’s, attempts to sway Rice, reports suggest that the English midfielder favours a move to Arsenal.

The Gunners seem to have an edge over other interested clubs, including Manchester United, with Rice reportedly ready to express his preference for an Arsenal move.

The club, led by Mikel Arteta, has made significant strides in planning Rice’s integration into the team—a detail that reportedly appeals to the player.

However, the transfer’s primary challenge remains agreeing on the fee with West Ham.

The Hammers allegedly expect a deal around £100m, and while there are no indications that Arsenal has made such an offer yet, they believe they are in a favourable position for the signing.

Declan Rice’s season with West Ham has been impressive, with the English international making 47 appearances, scoring four goals, and providing four assists from his defensive midfield role. He also played a pivotal role in England’s winter World Cup campaign, further enhancing his appeal.

Arsenal, keen on a significant midfield revamp this summer, have Rice high on their list.

The club appears to be planning a June bid to sign him, with the anticipation building among the Gunners’ fanbase.

However, the final word is yet to be had as West Ham have yet to clarify Rice’s final price tag, keeping the race open for other clubs.

Any transfer talks are to be postponed until after the completion of West Ham’s season, with the Hammers making it to the Europa Conference League final on 7 June.

Amidst the transfer speculation, Rice’s focus remains on winning the final, which adds another layer to this story.

Despite Thomas Tuchel’s reported conversation with Rice via a phonecall, the reports from various sources strongly suggest that Arsenal is leading the race, even preparing a significant £92m bid for the player. The S*n (link above), however, report that Bayern plan to bid £95m.

All eyes will be on how this transfer saga unfolds, especially with Arsenal’s potential record-breaking bid in the pipeline.

Declan Rice v Arsenal

Declan Rice has faced Arsenal on 11 occasions, winning one, drawing two and losing eight.

In that time, he scored one goal – the winner in West Ham’s win over the Gunners at home in the 18/19 season.

He has never been booked or sent off against Arsenal and actually only picked up five yellow cards all season, despite playing in a defensive midfield position for a bottom half team.