Arsenal have stepped up their pursuit of Declan Rice and are ready to open talks with West Ham over landing the signature of their captain for a club record fee of £90m.
Those at the top of the Gunners hierarchy have given manager Mikel Arteta the green light to spend big this summer as Arsenal prepare for their return to the Champions League. Next term will be the first time the club have been among the European elite since the 2016-17 campaign.
As a result, Arteta wants to seriously strengthen his squad and ensure they are capable of fighting with the best sides across the continent. Rice has been identified as one player who could help transform Arsenal's fortunes.
Not only has Arteta been told he can make a number of new additions, it is widely believed that Arsenal will also be able to offer significantly increased wages to new signings in a bid to make the Emirates as an attractive destination as possible for any potential incomings.
Rice is the Gunners' priority target ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window and Arteta is so keen on securing his services he's ready to play a club record fee. Arsenal's current transfer record is the £72m spent on Nicolas Pepe, this touted figure for Rice would be a significant £18m increase.
It is believed that the Gunners are hesitant to match West Ham's £100m valuation for the England international, but are prepared to pay Rice as much as north of £300,000-per-week if he puts pen to paper on a deal at the Emirates.
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If the deal were to go through, it would immediately put Rice at the top end of Arsenal's earners, alongside Three Lions team-mate Bukayo Saka who is on the verge of signing a lucrative extension with the Gunners.
Arteta has had plenty of joy when it comes to signing Premier League-proven talent, with the likes of Ben White, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko all impressing this season.
Rice is not the only target the Gunners have set their sights on, with Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi also on Arteta's wish-list.
Many are of the belief that Arsenal's title charge really capitulated when William Saliba picked up his back injury and Rob Holding was tasked with deputising for the Frenchman.
Signing Guehi would ensure that Arsenal's back-line is still stacked with quality regardless of who is forced to come out through injury or suspension.
It is shaping up to be a particularly exciting summer for the Arsenal faithful, just what they need to bounce back after title race heartache.
