Arsenal to make club-record £90m bid to complete quick deal for 24-year-old: Reports

Arsenal will submit a club-record £90 million offer for West Ham United captain Declan Rice in the coming days, according to The Daily Mail.

Rice, 24, has long been identified as the Gunners' top target for the summer transfer window. However, it was said that Mikel Arteta's side will wait until the end of West Ham's season before stepping up their interest in the midfielder.

The England international led West Ham to UEFA Europa Conference League glory on Wednesday (June 7). He helped the side beat Fiorentina 2-1 in the final at the Fortuna Arena in Prague and thus lifted the club's first major trophy since 1980.

Now that Rice has concluded his campaign with West Ham on a high, Arsenal are prepared to intensify their efforts to sign him. According to the aforementioned source, they hope to quickly conclude a £90 million deal for the defensive-minded midfielder.

Should West Ham accept the offer, Rice will become the most expensive signing in the Gunners' history. Nicolas Pepe remains the north London giants' costliest purchase after arriving from LOSC Lille for £72 million in 2019.

Arsenal are reportedly optimistic that they are the frontrunners to sign Rice despite competition from Manchester United and Bayern Munich. However, reaching an agreement with West Ham, who value Rice at over £100 million, could prove to be tricky.

As per the report, the Hammers want the full transfer fee to be paid within two years. Furthermore, the Europa Conference League winners want the guaranteed portion of the sum to be paid by the end of next season.

UEFA recently placed West Ham on their financial fair play watchlist. Receiving the full transfer fee for Rice within two years would help the Irons ease the situation. The Gunners, meanwhile, are keen to wrap up the signing of the Englishman before turning their attention towards other targets.

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Manchester United could yet beat Arsenal to Declan Rice's signing

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel is keen to take Declan Rice to Germany. However, the West Ham captain prefers to continue playing in England, according to the said report.

Rice is said to be settled in London, boosting Arsenal's chances of signing him. Manchester United, though, cannot be ruled out of the race to sign the former Chelsea youth star yet.

Despite working on a limited budget, the Red Devils are reportedly prepared to find creative solutions to sign Rice. As per the report, they are ready to offer players to West Ham in a potential player-plus-cash swap deal.

David Moyes' side have been linked with Manchester United's Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire. It thus remains to be seen if the Old Trafford outfit can beat the Gunners to Rice's signing.