3 midfielders who could be affected should Declan Rice join Arsenal this summer

As per Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal's latest bid to West Ham United for the signing of Declan Rice has been approved. In-depth information reveals that the latest bid is worth £100 million with an extra £5 million of add-ons as the player is set to undergo his medicals in the coming days.

One of the areas that Arsenal's hierarchy is looking to enhance this summer is the midfield.

Declan Rice, 24, is an exceptional midfielder and his ability to close down the little openings in midfield has been excellent. The adaptable midfielder netted five goals and registered four assists in 50 games for West Ham United in the 2022-23 campaign. In a related manner, he registered the most interceptions in the Premier League last season (63).

However, this listicle will look at three players who could be affected if he joins the Gunners this summer.

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#3 Albert Sambi Lokonga

Arsenal's Sambi Lokonga could be sold

The Belgian midfielder is one of the talents that came through Anderlecht's academy. But ever since he joined Arsenal, he has been unable to break into the starting XI.

While his inability to achieve the above could be attributed to an ever-increasing level of competition in the Gunners midfield, Sambi Lokonga is one of the players that could suffer a drastic reduction in game time should Declan Rice join Arsenal.

Lokonga was loaned out to Crystal Palace in the second half of last season. He registered only nine appearances for the Eagles, as the midfielder could also be considering his future at the Emirates.

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#2 Mohamed Elneny

Elneny could be on his way out of Arsenal

Mohamed Elneny is a credible squad player, but he has struggled to remain compatible ever since he penned his signature for the Gunners. This could be one of the reasons why he has not cemented his place in the team's list of regular players.

The El Mahalla El Kubra-born midfielder struggled with a terrible knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for a decent majority of the campaign last season. He registered only eight appearances for the Gunners, scoring just once. Should Rice join Arsenal this summer, his game time or chances of featuring would definitely reduce.

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#1 Thomas Partey

Will Thomas Partey leave the Gunners in this transfer window?

The former Atletico Madrid midfielder is a brilliant player at the center of the park. However, while Rice's potential transfer could be beneficial to the entire squad, Partey could be at the receiving end as he could witness a minor reduction in his game time.

Based on analogy, Martin Odegaard, Granit Xhaka and Rice could be the ideal midfield unit, hence pushing him down the pecking order. It remains to be seen if the above would materialize in the coming days.