Arsenal ‘make offer’ for Arteta favourite and journalist claims €90m bid will secure Real Madrid target

Lewis Oldham
Arsenal target Caicedo

According to reports, Arsenal have already ‘made an offer’ for West Ham star Declan Rice, who is also being targeted by Bayern Munich.

Rice is expected to leave West Ham this summer as he has publicly admitted that he wants to play in the Champions League.

“100 per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” Rice said at the end of last year.

“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing.

“I see my friends here, who are playing Champions League and for big trophies.

“You only get one career and at the end, you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”

Rice has been superb for the Hammers over the past few seasons and he is understood to be Arsenal’s top midfield target ahead of this summer.

Earlier this month, it was reported that Arsenal are ‘set to open talks’ with West Ham over signing Rice, with Mikel Arteta being given ‘major funds’ to sign his ‘top target’.

Sky Germany claim Rice is an ‘absolute dream’ target for Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel but West Ham’s financial demands ‘make it difficult’ for the Bundesliga giants.

West Ham are ‘flirting with a very high transfer fee’ and Arsenal have ‘already made an €80m offer’ for Rice. This fee is said to be ‘too much’ for Bayern ‘to match’.

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Brighton’s Moises Caicedo was targeted by Arsenal in January and he remains on their radar ahead of this summer.

Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio does not think Caicedo will leave Brighton for “less than €80-90 million”. He also points out that Real Madrid “wanted him in January”.

“If Arsenal or other clubs will arrive with not less than €80-90 million, they want that money, otherwise Caicedo will stay there. They will lose Mac Allister because he will, I think, go to Liverpool,” Di Marzio told MyBettingSites.

“Yes, Brighton got Milner, they got Dahoud but Caicedo is a different player and really, really important.

“If Arsenal will insist and will arrive at that money, this is the moment Caicedo will go. And with Rice and Caicedo, obviously, Arsenal would have an incredible midfield.

“Real Madrid wanted him in January. The only sure thing is that Brighton wants an important fee for him. They are not a club that decides to let players go on a discount. If they decide that this is the fee they want for him, they will have it. Otherwise, the player stays.

“I know De Zerbi thinks that Caicedo can even play for Real Madrid so the consideration that Brighton has of Caicedo is that of a top, top player.”

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