Arsenal Are Now Top Contenders To Sign Declan Rice From West Ham', After Bayern Munich Withdraw From The Race.

 Bayern Munich have reportedly pulled out of the race to sign Declan Rice because he has become more and more expensive.

The German giants, will not bid for the West Ham midfielder, despite manager Thomas Tuchel being a big fan of the defensive midfielder, but a deal was never close to being completed with the Bundesliga champions.

Rice on the other hand,wants to remain in London, England, and Arsenal are working on their official bid for their top wishlist, as personal terms won’t be an issue.

The Gunners is now leading the race to sign the England international, despite interest from other Premier League sides Manchester United and Chelsea.

Securing the signing of Declan Rice could prove pivotal for Mikel Arteta's squad in this transfer window, as Rice is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s best players in his position.

There had been a reluctance to meet the lofty valuation of the Europa Conference League winners, who are standing firm on their £100m price tag for the 24-year-old.

The Guardian stated that Arsenal sporting director Edu Gasper, is preparing to submit a £100million offer plus bonus payments to bring Rice to the Emirates stadium, and that West Ham are ready to accept the offer. 

Though an official offer is yet to be made, but if the transfer successfully goes through,  Rice will become the North London club's record signing, breaking their £72million they paid to Lille for Ivorian attacker Nicolas Pepe in 2019.

Rice will also become the most expensive English player of all-time, surpassing Man City’s deal for Jack Grealish and Real Madrid’s summer move for Jude Bellingham.

He had recently captained the Hammers to victory in the Europa Conference League following a 2-1 win over Fiorentina, that English club's first major trophy since 1980. And he is poised to depart the club he joined at the age of 14 during this transfer window. 

Arteta looks to bolster his squad, having already said their goodbyes to Granit Xhaka's whose move to Bayer Leverkusen is no closer to completion.

Arsenal are reluctant to let him leave unless they have secured a replacement.

The Swiss midfielder may be hoping the Declan Rice gets done more than the fans at this rate so he can link up with Xabi Alonso's side.

Arsenal are also considering lodging a bid for Brighton star Moises Caicedo, with the Spaniard also trying to sign Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan 

The ried to sign Caicedo during the January window but the Seagulls were unwilling to sell, rejecting two bids from the north London outfit before the Ecuadorian signed a new long-term contract at the Amex Stadium. Still, Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has since admitted that the 21-year-old has likely played his last game for the south-coast side, expecting the talented midfielder to leave this summer.

Arsenal are looking to mount a strong Premier League title challenge again next season, and also in the Champions League.