B. Dortmund
Paris SG
Newcastle United have entered the race to sign West Ham midfielder Declan Rice in the summer but Arsenal are still considered favourites, according to reports.
The England international has emerged as one of the most impressive young midfielders in the Premier League with numerous clubs looking into the possibility of signing him in the summer.
Rice is ready to move on this summer after giving West Ham six full seasons of service with the England international speaking publicly about his desire to play Champions League football as soon as possible.
And with West Ham currently in a relegation battle it’s impossible for that to happen at the London Stadium next season, leading to the conclusion that he will definitely move on this summer.
Arsenal have already made ‘back channel overtures’ to make sure they secure his signing with personal terms expected to be ‘easy to sort’.
And it seems extremely likely that he will move to Arsenal now with Manchester United concentrating on signing a centre-forward, Manchester City thought to be no longer interested and Liverpool unlikely to stump up the £100m required to land Rice in the summer.
But talkSPORT claim that other interest could now come from Newcastle United with the Magpies eyeing the ‘outside possibility of an ambitious swoop’ for Rice.
The West Ham midfielder ‘is on Newcastle’s radar if they decide to move away from their cautious approach and spend big in the summer’ but Arsenal are still his ‘most likely destination’.
The report adds that the 24-year-old is ‘almost certain to leave’ and Arsenal are ‘the most advanced with Rice excited by the prospect of a switch to north London’.
Speaking in February 2022 on his desire to play in the Champions League, Rice said: “I have always said it, I don’t want to have a career where I’ve not won anything.
“Growing up as a kid I’ve seen all these top players win the trophies, win the Premier League, the Champions League.
“Me as a football fan and a player I want to win the best stuff, I want to win the Premier League, I want to lift that trophy, I want to win the Champions League, I want to win the FA Cups, League Cups, even with England, I want to win it all.
“If you haven’t got that ambition as a footballer, why are you playing? They are the best moments of your life winning those trophies.
