Despite recent speculations linking the West Ham midfielder with a move to Manchester United, Arsenal remain the favourite to sign Declan Rice this summer.
The England international is said to be the top transfer target for the Gunners going into the summer transfer season.
Romano claims that Mikel Arteta’s team is still in the lead in the race to recruit Rice despite the north London club facing heavy opposition.
Romano stated on the House of Champions Podcast that Arsenal are still the favourites to sign Rice and that they have put a lot of preparation into this transaction.
Rice is expected to go to Arsenal
The newsman revealed what he knew about the ‘fast’ midfielder and Arsenal.
“Yes, (Ten Hag) has admirers, and I think that’s normal. However, Mikel Arteta has admirers as well, and I continue to believe that Arsenal are the favourites to sign Declan Rice. Since January, when they first talked about Rice internally, they have been working on that deal. Declan Rice will no doubt be the subject of an offer from Arsenal in the coming weeks because they already had him at the top of their midfield list, according to Romano.
Turns and twists
Even though Rice is currently being courted by Arsenal, we have a sneaking suspicion that the race will take more unexpected turns.
There will undoubtedly be a lot of offers, counteroffers, and bargaining strategies used here as interested parties try to bring the price down given that West Ham is seeking more than £100 million for Rice.
Although Arsenal are in the lead, the race is still far from over.