Arsenal’s path for Declan Rice may now be clear after shock Granit Xhaka ‘hijack’ plan
It is rumored that Bayern Munich is close to thwarting Bayern Leverkusen’s attempt to sign Granit Xhaka.
This indicates that the prominent Bavarian club is exploring alternatives due to recent news that their primary target, Declan Rice, is leaning towards a transfer to the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Sun, Bayern Munich is preparing a £15 million offer to acquire Granit Xhaka, effectively snatching him from Bayern Leverkusen’s pursuit. Bayern has been in search of a central midfielder and initially considered Declan Rice as a potential option.
However, The Daily Mail reports that Declan Rice has expressed his desire to continue playing in England next season and prefers a move to Arsenal over Manchester United, who have also shown interest in signing him.
At the moment, Rice’s focus is on the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina, which will take place next Wednesday. After the final, official bids for the player are expected to be submitted. West Ham values their captain at £100 million, which would equal the transfer record for a British player if a matching offer is made.
Manager David Moyes holds the belief that Declan Rice’s potential transfer fee will surpass Manchester City’s £100 million move for Jack Grealish. Moyes anticipates that Rice’s valuation will approach the Premier League record fee of £107 million, which Chelsea spent on Enzo Fernandez.
“Undoubtedly Declan is going to be a top player,” he declared.”He’ll be a British transfer record if he ever leaves West Ham.”
He added: “There’s a lot of talk about it and when you see what’s going about for the prices, I think Dec will be blowing that out of the water, that’s for sure, when it comes around.”
Earlier this month, the Scot admitted there was a “good chance” of Rice would be leaving West Ham in the summer. “We honestly hope he stays,” Moyes said. “There are plans that we have Dec here but we’re also fully aware there is a good chance we won’t have him.”
Arsenal’s path for Declan Rice may now be clear after shock Granit Xhaka ‘hijack’ plan