Arsenal close to sealing £100m deal for top summer target - Reports

Arsenal are reportedly close to sealing West Ham United captain Declan Rice's capture in a deal that could be worth more than £100 million.

According to The Guardian, the Gunners are close to reaching an agreement with West Ham for Rice. They're prepared to make the England international the most expensive player in club history.

Arsenal are holding talks with the Hammers and are reportedly moving in the right direction. David Moyes' side are resigned to losing the 24-year-old who played a key role in the west London outfit's UEFA Europa Conference League triumph last week.

Rice has made 50 appearances across competitions this season, scoring five goals and contributing four assists. However, the English midfielder has always desired UEFA Champions League football, a competition Mikel Arteta's men will be playing in next season.

Arsenal ideally want to pay £90 million for Rice, but West Ham want the deal to include add-ons. It's looking more than likely that the Gunners will break their transfer record, which is the £72 million they paid for Nicolas Pepe in 2019.

Some of Europe's biggest clubs have been tracking Rice, including Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea. Hence, Arteta's side have pushed forward with their pursuit of the Hammers captain.

Rice's last outing for West Ham looks to have come in the side's 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final. He's now on the brink of joining a Gunners side that challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.

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Declan Rice urged to join Manchester United over Arsenal

Declan Rice is urged to join Erik ten Hag's side.

Former Premier League striker Stan Collymore has advised Rice to take a risk and head to either Manchester United rather than Arsenal. The Red Devils have been interested in the midfielder, but the Gunners have emerged as favourites.

Collymore reckons Rice should get out of his comfort zone, alluding to the fact that he will remain in London if he heads to the Emirates, telling Caught Offside:

“He was at Chelsea as a youngster; he’s been at West Ham as a pro, and now the common consensus is (that) he’s going to join Arsenal, so you do have to ask the question ‘is he a bit of a homeboy?"

The former Liverpool forward continued by suggesting Rice move to Old Trafford:

“If he wanted to go out of his comfort zone, I’d say go and test yourself."

He added:

"The test of Man United and the pressure that it brings being at one of the biggest clubs in the world, maybe the second biggest after Real Madrid, means that from my perspective I think Rice is playing it a little bit safe, and he might regret that three or four years down the line.”

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is looking to bolster his midfield this summer. There's uncertainty over the futures of Scott McTominay and Fred, so the Red Devils could look to strengthen ahead of next season's UEFA Champions League campaign.