West Ham ace ‘identified’ as transfer target as Arsenal tussle with Champions League club for £92m deal

Arsenal and Bayern Munich are both believed to be keen on luring Declan Rice away from West Ham. The Hammers will face a major battle to keep their star man this summer amid interest from elsewhere.

According to a report by The Telegraph, the Gunners are preparing a club-record £92million bid for the England international ahead of the next transfer window. Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to bolster their ranks with it looking like Manchester City will pip them to the Premier League title this season.

West Ham may also have to deal with some interest from Bayern Munich as well. The Mirror claim ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has ‘identified’ him as a target and could try and lure him over to Germany for a new challenge abroad.

Rice, who is 24-years-old, is under contract at the London Stadium until 2024. His side risk losing him for nothing next year unless they can agree terms with him over a new deal. If they are to cash in, they will want as much money for him as possible which makes this summer the most ideal time to sell.

He has been on the books of the Hammers since 2014 having previously spent three years in the academy at Chelsea. The Kingston upon Thames-born man rose up through the youth ranks and was handed his debut back in 2017 in a league fixture against Burnley.

Rice hasn’t looked back since and has now made 241 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with 14 goals. He also has 41 caps for England under his belt, as well as three for the Republic of Ireland earlier on his career.

His focus at the moment will be on helping West Ham win the Europa Conference League. It remains to be seen whether he will still be with them next season though.