Arsenal and Liverpool set to battle for England international in the summer

Arsenal and Liverpool set to battle for England international in the summer

West Ham are close to conceding defeat in their hopes of keeping star midfielder Declan Rice.

The exceptionally talented defensive midfielder has been loyal to the Hammers thus far, but after choosing not to extend his contract, the England international is expected to finally leave in the summer transfer window.

Although almost every top-six club has been linked with the player, journalist Rudy Galetti says that Arsenal and Liverpool are the two teams to keep an eye on.

The 24-year-old currently has a little over 12 months left on his deal, and although the Hammers retain the option to add another year, should the club trigger it, it would only be to protect the midfielder’s value, rather than to keep him in their squad for an additional year.

With some of the top elite clubs monitoring the 24-year-old’s situation, West Ham will be bracing themselves for offers, and speaking about their desire to open discussions at the end of the season, Galetti, who spoke to GiveMeSport, said: “It’s too early to talk about negotiation between clubs because West Ham don’t want to discuss about Rice with any clubs until June.

Declan Rice (Getty Images)

“But for sure, Arsenal will be one that will follow the player with great attention during the next transfer window, and in that sense, we also need to pay attention to Liverpool, who are really interested in him.”

Rice, who has 39 international appearances to his name, was promoted to the Hammers senior first squad in 2017. Since then, he has played in 222 games across all competitions and has directly assisted 23 goals.

In other news, Top journalist confirms Liverpool are ‘really interested’ in Arsenal’s top summer target