Arsenal confident of trumping Chelsea to the signing of English international midfielder

Arsenal are confident they can beat Chelsea in the race to sign Declan Rice

According to the Times, Arsenal are confident that they can beat London rivals Chelsea in the race to sign Declan Rice in the summer.

The West Ham United midfielder is set to be a part of the bidding war among the top clubs in England during the summer window. Along with Arsenal and Chelsea, Manchester United are also interested.

But, the Gunners feel that their current position at the top of the table would be enough to attract the attention of the 24-year-old England international.

West Ham are expecting that Rice will be sold in the summer because his contract expires in 2024 with an option to extend that by a year (Transfermarkt). The player is unwilling to sign an extension. He could cost around £80m.

The England international was a youth player at Chelsea before leaving and continuing his development in east London. He started by playing as a centre-back but now has become one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

The Blues are looking to sign Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo in the January window. Whether they would be able to get that deal over the line remains to be seen.

A few days ago, Metro reported that Chelsea are expecting Jorginho to depart the club once his contract expires at the end of this season.

Irrespective of the Italian’s departure, the team could do with an addition or two in the central midfield department. It would be interesting to see if Caicedo is done this month, will they go as hard for Rice in the summer?

More Chelsea News:

• Ben Jacobs confirms that Chelsea will do more business in January
• Graham Potter happy with the debut performance of Benoit Badiashile for Chelsea
• Chelsea don’t rule out second bid for Benfica star Enzo Fernandez in January

So, in a way, Arsenal would be hoping that we sign the Ecuador international so that they can have an easier run at getting Rice. A lot of things are still to happen though!