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Arsenal will begin negotiations with West Ham over a £90 million transfer for Declan Rice as Emirates officials prepare to loosen their purse strings ahead of their return to the Champions League this summer.
In addition to making significant funds available to Mikel Arteta to bolster his squad, Mail Sport has reported that the Premier League club will loosen restrictions on its wage bill to ensure that it can recruit enough talent to maintain its status as a genuine title contender.
Granit Xhaka is among the players expected to depart as Arsenal seeks to counterbalance their anticipated spending by selling a number of players.
Gunners Set to Break Through Transfer Record in Pursuit of Declan Rice
Arsenal are willing to break their transfer record, which currently stands at £72 million for the signing of Nicolas Pepe in 2019, in order to acquire the West Ham star and England midfielder Declan Rice.
Intriguingly, there is a reluctance to match West Ham’s valuation of Rice at £100 million, but sources indicate that Arsenal would be prepared to offer the midfielder a contract with potential weekly earnings in excess of £300,000.
The anticipated new contract for Bukayo Saka, which will be announced shortly, will also approach £300,000 per week.
In fact, there is an understanding at Arsenal that their wage bill will increase over the summer as Arteta pursues more physically imposing players in response to concerns that his team lacked physicality during crucial moments of the season.
Rice is reported to completely match the description of the player Arteta desires to add to his team.
In recent seasons, the Gunners have been cautious in balancing their wage bill due to the considerable financial strain that large contracts for players like Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had on the club’s finances.
Arteta’s Targets Will Not Come Cheap to Arsenal
However, the caliber of player Arteta wants to sign will not come cheap in terms of transfer fees and wages, but the club is willing to financially support their head coach.
In addition to Rice, the Gunners are monitoring Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi and Bayer Leverkusen attacker Moussa Diaby.
Their plans for a summer reconstruction will be aided by the impending sale of a number of bench players and increased revenue from qualification for the Champions League.
Bundesliga team Leverkusen are looking to sign Xhaka this summer, which could facilitate a transfer for Diaby.
It is believed that initial contact has been made between the two clubs regarding the Switzerland international, who has played a pivotal role for Arsenal this season, but no definitive agreement has been reached.
Newcastle are admirers of Kieran Tierney, who has struggled for opportunities this season since Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival.
Folarin Balogun, a young striker, is anticipated to depart. The 21-year-old has been linked with a £30 million transfer amid interest from clubs such as AC Milan, having excelled on loan at Stade de Reims in Ligue 1 this season.
Balogun is adamant about avoiding a return to the Arsenal bench, while Emile Smith Rowe and Rob Holdings have had limited playing time this season.
Reiss Nelson has also rejected a new contract and will depart at the end of the month when his contract expires.
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